Tales of the Perverted and the Conceited
by Karin Ochibi-chan
Summary: A Oneshot/Drabble Series revolving around Kanako Miyamae and Mariya Shidou. Ranges from AU to In-Universe, with no chronological order, and different variety. Mariya/Kanako MariKana
1. Sickness

**Karin: Hey everyone! I was watching Maria Holic Alive so I decided to check up on the fanfiction section for it. I didn't really find anything since the last time I checked since nothing's been added, so I read my oneshot "Nutjobs and Sadists" and read the reviews again. Needless to say, I was touched that people were asking if I was going to make a drabble/oneshot series for all the sentences. Then I went digging into my computer, and I found more Maria Holic oneshots I started on and I felt like wanting to try a oneshot series, with the sentence drabbles included as well as some of my own plot bunnies. **

**Moving on, I hope the first one is alright. This one has been in my computer for a couple of months now and I finished it today. **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Maria Holic. I'm just contributing to its fanbase

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>Tales of the Perverted and the Conceited  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T (though each oneshot will have its separate genre, but this is the general rating)  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>Mariya/Kanako, MariKana—you get the picture  
><strong>Genre(s): <strong>General, since it applies to basically all genres.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Oneshots/drabbles revolving around Kanako Miyamae and Mariya (or Shizu, since his original name _was _Shizu before his sister and him switched places, however you want to take that) Shidou. They range from in the MH universe, to AU, and have no chronological order or connection unless I say otherwise.

**Note: **Please read this before any oneshot because it will let you know if this is AU or some other important detail. Nothing too informative like spoilers. This one is in the Maria Holic universe, by the way.

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><p>"<em>To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." <em>

—Anthony Robbins

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><p><strong>1. Sickness<strong>

There were times in Miyamae Kanako's life where she felt misery. In fact, ever since she entered her second year of high school, misery seemed to attach itself to her side like an annoying itch that refused to retreat from her body.

But this… this time Kanako could say that any type of torture she received throughout her time at Ame no Kisaki was a thousand times better than what she was going through at the moment.

'_Dear Mother in Heaven, Kanako's throat feels as if a cat clawed it with its sharp claws and her head feels like someone clubbed it fifty times with a flying pan…' _

Not only that, but her body couldn't decide if it was cold or hot. She was sweating buckets, yet her body couldn't stop convulsing like she was in ice cold water for hours on end. Plus, her nose was clogged with ceaseless amounts of snot and booger nuggets and her mouth had a bitter aftertaste that only people seem to have when they're ill.

Yes, sadly Kanako has been ailed by what we would call the common cold.

And she hated it with a passion.

Her body was screaming in protest if she made the smallest inch to get out of bed, but she had classes today. She couldn't skip out on her classes. No sir. It would kill her.

From these statements, one would think Kanako was a studious person. She cared about her studies and was dedicated to her school work.

'_Argh! If I don't get out of bed, I can't see the beautiful girls studying and paying attention to the teacher attentively, doing everything in their power to do their best like a cute shoujo heroine!' _the tall, raven haired girl cried in her mind from despair at the thought of not being able to leer—I mean, _gaze upon their loveliness_ if she was stuck in bed all day.

…Yes, those who thought Kanako was studious were dead wrong.

'_Wwwaaahhhhh! Come on! Get up! Get up!' _Kanako sobbed desperately in her mind, struggling in vain to get out of bed and ignoring her body's protests on the matter. She was about halfway, cheering herself on, when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Oi, are you trying to imitate a worm sliding out of their hole or something, idiot?" a male's voice critiqued her way of slithering out of her blankets. Right away she knew that voice. It was _the _voice of the personification of evil itself. Her tormentor and, unfortunately, her roommate.

"No Mariya-sama, as you can see, she's trying to act like a sausage attempting to escape the confines of their roll before they are cooked alive in order to be enjoyed by the masses." another voice, this time female, blankly and bluntly stated to the male.

"Oh, like those pigs in a blanket, right? Yeah, she does resemble a little sausage. After all, it's not like she'll ever satisfy anyone—just like one of those little rolls will never satisfy someone's hunger by themselves." the boy's voice responded, clearly not caring that he had insulted the tall girl with that comparison.

At those statements, Kanako's already stuffy nose became even stuffier as comical tears came to her eyes.

"Must you kill my poor spirit so early in the day? I haven't even gotten dressed yet or eaten breakfast." Kanako said to them, finally managing to slip out of bed, struggling to set herself on all fours as she panted a bit.

"What's with you?" Shidou Mariya questioned. He was already prepared for the day in his girl attire, ready to fool the world another day with his charade. His hands were at his hips and his ruby eyes looked down upon her hunched form with a quirked eyebrow, observing her. However, a smirk then graced his features, "Could it be that someone found out about your true colors and is going to expose you today?"

"You're despicable to be excited about that." Matsurika, donned in her usual maid outfit, spoke in her basic monotone. This caused the cross-dresser to turn to her with a frown on his face and his side pig tails gave off a twitch.

"It's for the greater good of humanity if this pervert was finally banished from the grounds." he told her seriously.

"True. Without Kanako-sama to sneak around, young girls may learn in a sexual predator free environment." Matsurika agreed with him.

"As if! The only one who has awful true colors is you!" Kanako pointed to the blonde cross-dresser angrily, irritated at his words and frustrated at her condition. "And I am not a sexual predator!" she added, as if she just remembered that they called her that.

"Tch. Whatever. Just get up from the floor and get dressed already so we can leave." Mariya ordered impatiently.

"I-I was doing that!" Kanako blushed in embarrassment that she was still on the floor. Grabbing the edge of her bed, she pulled herself up. Consequently, she stood up too quickly, causing her vision to blacken and her mind to become dizzy; her body swaying from the sudden movement. In doing so, she lost her balance and fell to the floor again, releasing a groan of pain and discomfort. At this, Mariya grew more annoyed, and snapped at the tall girl.

"Oi, hurry it up! If you don't get up, I'm leaving without you." Mariya told her. The cross-dresser then arched in eyebrow, feeling something amiss. "What's wrong with you today?"

"It appears that Kanako-sama is allied by something more serious than her lack of intelligence and vile perversion." Matsurika stated. Mariya turned to her, nodding.

"While I didn't think that was possible, it certainly shoes now—she can't even get up from the carpet." he then sighed, "She's going to get her disgusting germs all over it if she keeps her face to the floor. I rather like this carpet."

"Indeed, it's very pleasant to sit on and looks nice, but it is on Kanako-sama's side of the room so at least her germs have not contaminated your side." Matsurika agreed. The two then proceeded to the door and prepared to exit the room. Hearing Kanako moan again, Mariya turned back to look at her befallen form before he opened the door.

"Don't bother getting up. You won't even make it to the classroom. Stay in bed today, and I'll get your class work later." the blonde informed the tall girl.

"That's suspiciously nice of you, Mariya-sama, and completely out of character of being an asshole." the maid chimed in, causing Mariya to pivot to his assistant with a smirk on his face.

"Of course it's nice of me, Matsurika. I play the part of a caring, beautiful maiden, and showing my compassion in front of the other students will boost my popularity greatly." Mariya replied arrogantly.

"Ah, it appears I was mistaken—your asshole nature is still there behind your motives."

"I would shut up if I were you, Matsurika. Pissing me off has no good results."

With that, the two left, leaving the poor raven haired girl alone to waste away on the floor. They could have helped her to the bed at least, but then again, that act of kindness would be rare in itself. Mariya and Matsurika weren't known for being nice to her, after all.

Everything was silent in the room while Kanako made no motion to travel to her bed. She was so exhausted… so weak… so much in agony. Oh, when would the torment end? All she wanted to do was sleep…

And as she closed her eyes, images of beautiful girls sitting in sunlit classrooms, the rays reflecting wonderfully on girls' hair invaded her senses… their concentrated gazes… their fidgets of restlessness to be able to move around again as they sat in their chairs… their luscious lips biting down on their pencils in a nervous habit…

"_Ggggaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I have to go to school!" _Kanako screamed and sprang up into a standing position. She scrambled for her things and uniform, fighting the dizziness and fatigue. Racing to the door somewhat prepared for the day (her bag was in disarray and her uniform consisted of one sloppy sock at her ankle while the other was at her knee, her skirt wrinkled, her blouse unbuttoned at the first two buttons, her blazer not even buttoned, and her bow lopsided), Kanako made her journey to her classroom, knowing that if she hurried, she would still made it to homeroom on time.

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><p>Kanako whimpered silently when she sat in her seat as Ms. Teddy Bear went on about the importance of government and without it, anarchy would cause their country to crumble.<p>

'_I feel so horrible that I can't even enjoy my bishoujo time!' _Kanako thought in misery. What's worse was that when she had arrived to homeroom, everyone was so frightened of her appearance that they moved away from her seat, afraid to contract her disease. Her spirits diminished to about zero when the only few who did stick around her—namely Yuzuru, Sachi, and by default Kiri—were not doing what she had wanted. Sachi was constantly glancing at her in worry while Yuzuru glanced at Sachi and tried to silently assure her that Kanako was not going to die, and Kiri was looking at the both of them, not bothering to gaze at Kanako or the board, for she was also concerned about Sachi.

To sum it up, no hard-working, studious bishoujo viewing in class today for Kanako…

'_!' _she sobbed in her head, and due to the breakdown in her mind, Kanako started banging her head on her desk and gave off vocal wails.

"Kanako-chan! Don't die!" Sachi cried distressed.

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><p>After her wallowing in sorrow episode, Ms. Teddy Bear asked her if she would like to go to the nurse. Kanako, who had sadly admitted defeat by that point and accepted that she would not get to see her desired spectacle of the day, declined and said she would just return to her room where her cozy, soft, and fluffy bed was waiting for her. Sachi offered to come with her, but Kanako once again declined for she didn't want to worry the girl any further and assured her that she was fine.<p>

As she traveled the deserted hallways back to her dorm, Kanako felt a pounding headache beating against her skull, and found herself very grateful for the silence around her. Sachi, while meaning well and would be very gorgeous to gaze upon, would shatter the precious quiet with her constant inquiries out of worry and concern, thereby making Kanako's headache worsen.

"Ugh…" the tall, raven-haired girl grunted, bringing one of her hands to her head, clutching it in vain to rid of that terrible migraine. In addition to that, she was beginning to sweat and cough. Her body felt the chills coming back and she had to stop walking in order to lean against the wall for support. Kanako felt her knees buckle beneath her as she continued to slump against the wall. Her breaths came out in pants, and tears of depression, frustration, and exhaustion came to her eyes at her being in this deserted hallway instead of her wonderful bed. Why didn't she listen to Mariya? Couldn't that demon be wrong about _something_? His karma certainly wasn't good enough to warrant being right about things, that's for sure!

'_Dear Mother in Heaven, Kanako has landed herself in a terrible situation. She's tired, wretched, and feels like crap all over. I just want to be back in my room!' _more tears leaked from her blue eyes. _'But how can I get there? I'm not even that close and I'm already feeling like I am going to pass out! Dear Mother, please send help to your sick child!' _

Seeing her vision blackening and feeling all conscious thought leave her, Kanako succumbed to the realm of darkness, overwhelmed by all the negativity surrounding her.

The last things she hazily registered were a shocked calling of "Oi!" and a flash of blond before slumping onto the wooden floor with a thump.

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><p>"Mmm…" a groan escaped her mouth whereas her eyes cracked open a bit to view her surroundings. She blinked a couple of times warily, her eyes adjusting to the dim room. Slowly, she propped herself up and looked towards the window, finding the sky to be coated in warm oranges and golden yellows, signifying that it was around sunset, probably past dinner time. On closer inspection to her surrounding area, Kanako was taken aback to discover that she was in her dorm room, tucked under her covers.<p>

"Lay back down, you idiot. You're going to tire yourself out." a very familiar and very _male _voice sternly commanded her, startling the tall girl who emitted a squawk and fell back onto the bed from clumsiness. Sure enough, looking to her side to the opposite direction of her dorm room sat Mariya reading a textbook with a bored expression on his face. Nevertheless, since she was awake, he shut the text with an abrupt snap, moving his ruby, serious gaze upon her.

"M-Mariya…" Kanako acknowledge with a gulp. All instinct was yelling at her to take shelter under her blankets, even though that probably wouldn't do any good in protecting herself, but it was worth a try. Mariya's gaze contained irritation, severity, and reprimanding. The frown on his features only made her stomach churn uneasily and made it woozier.

He then stood up and calmly approached her bed, his arms crossed and his proud stance resembling that of a parent about to scold their child for doing something appalling at school that day, and now had to return to the parent for a lecture after the school called them on their child's bad behavior.

Yeah, that blanket fortress definitely sounded really appealing to her right about now…

"I thought I told you this morning to not go to class." Mariya began. "In fact, I seem to recall that I told you specifically to stay in bed." he glared down at her, cutting her off when she began to splutter, "What kind of idiot are you? Are you really that dumb as to put your health in danger all for the sake of your disgusting perversion?" he questioned her with a hint of condescending in his tone.

"I did not jeopardize my health!" Kanako protested angrily, sitting up again. "Beautiful maidens help increase my health! They re-energize me!"

"Oh really?" he countered skeptically, narrowing his eyes. "From what I've seen, it only made your health worse from the way your pathetic body was sprawled in the middle of the hallway. If that is what you call regeneration, then I would hate to see what you call exhaustion."

Kanako scowled at him, and opened her mouth once more to tell him off with her superior knowledge on the matter of her health.

"What would you know about my health? You're not me! You're just a cruel, insensitive, deceiving—"

Nonetheless, Mariya once more did not allow her to have another chance in defending herself. He surprised her by getting close to her face with his own. Now they were separated by solely a half a foot away from each other. Nervousness crawled up her spine, wondering what he was going to do as her heart pounded in panic.

"You selfish girl," he called her, "Not only did you jeopardize your health for your stupid endeavor, but you also wasted my time with your nonsense! I missed all my afternoon classes and had to endure listening to your horrible sleep talking and noisy snores! I couldn't even study with your racket! You can never be quiet, can you?" his tone was biting, causing Kanako to flinch at the harshness.

"I… I…" she stammered.

"Apologize now! I deserve some kind of gratification for all the trouble you've caused me today!" he demanded outraged.

"I—I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, flabbergasted at the whole situation. He was calling her selfish when he was only concerned that she caused him a hassle today? Hypocrite.

With that, Mariya distanced himself from her face and went back to standing in an upright position. His expression with stern, but it was also unreadable in terms of knowing what was going on in his head. Then he let out a weary sigh as if to say "what am I to do with you?" or "I'm surrounded by idiots" and placed a hand at his temple.

"Jeez, you're hopeless. Anyway, I sent Matsurika out to get some dinner so she should be back in a bit with the food. Until then, get some more sleep." the blonde informed her. Once finished with his speech, he returned to his own bed and took up the textbook, resuming his reading on where he left off.

Meanwhile Kanako lied in bed, submerged in her own thoughts. _'Who does he think he is, anyway? Mariya doesn't understand the matters of the heart because he doesn't have one!' _at this, she nodded sagely to herself. _'I mean, he just ranted about how much trouble _I _caused _him_! Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, he causes ten times more trouble for me...' _

Turning to lie on her back, Kanako gazed at the ceiling, continuing her thoughts.

'_Dear Mother in Heaven, Kanako has made it safely to her bed, though she isn't sure on how she had gotten here.' _Kanako furrowed her brow in concentration, _'Come to think of it, I don't really remember how I got here. The last thing I remember was being in the school's hallway trying to get back to the dorms, but I wasn't even close. If that is true, then how did I manage to get back here?' _Kanako made a move to scratch her head in confusion when she saw her arm, freezing its movement in order to examine it. There on her arm appeared to be something small, red, and many of them.

'_Hives? Why would I have those? I only get those when—' _

"_From what I've seen, it only made your health worse from the way your pathetic body was sprawled in the middle of the hallway. If that is what you call regeneration, then I would hate to see what you call exhaustion." _Mariya's words came back into her head.

'_Eh? Wait a second here!'_

"_From what I've seen, it only made your health worse from the way your pathetic body was sprawled in the middle of the hallway…"_

Kanako shifted herself so that she was lying on her side, facing Mariya and staring at him with narrowed eyes of doubt at what theory she was concocting in her mind.

'_Mariya said—more like criticized—he saw me on the floor and I have hives on me, and that only happens when a boy touches me, so that means that Mariya must have touched me while I was unconscious. And now I'm in my bed without remembering how I got here with Mariya lecturing me on my "usual" stupidity—according to him anyway—but then again, he could have just came in and this all was some crazy dream cooked up from deprivation of beautiful girls. I could've dreamed the whole thing and just woke up to see Mariya and cooked up some strange hallucination…' _

On the other hand, the blonde cross-dresser's speech came to visit her brain again, and Kanako's thoughts went into overdrive.

"_Not only did you jeopardize your health for your stupid endeavor, but you also wasted my time with your nonsense! I missed all my afternoon classes and had to endure listening to your horrible sleep talking and noisy snores! I couldn't even study with your racket! You can never be quiet, can you?"_

'_Eh? No way! If he had missed all his afternoon classes then that means he was with me for the whole afternoon!' _the tall girl yelled in her mind bothered that she spent the whole afternoon alone with a man, even though she does that all the time anyway since Mariya and her share a room, but Matsurika is there too during those times. Although, Mariya didn't mention that Matsurika was with him while staying in the room while she was sleeping.

'_None of this makes any sense…' _the raven haired girl thought tiredly. _'Mariya isn't the type to care about my well-being. With Shizu-san or any of his family members, sure, but when it comes to me, he would prefer it if I got eaten by bears so I couldn't squeal his secret…' _she clenched her blanket tight in her hands staring at the ceiling again, _'But...' _

A flash of blonde and an exclamation entered her fuzzy memory before she blacked out in the hallway. Then she replayed his entire scolding session into her mind, reviewing it thoroughly as best she could, sick as she was. This made Kanako redirect her gaze to Mariya, pensive and attentive.

'_Could it be that… Mariya actually cared? That he carried me back to our room when he saw me lying there? Was he worried that I wasn't alright? Is that why he stayed with me and missed all his afternoon classes? To look after me?' _

All these questions were making her head dizzy. They were deep questions—ones that she would not get answer to, she knew. So, Kanako put away these ponderings before she gave herself another headache.

"Mariya…" Kanako spoke, and the blonde switched his attention to her, face blank. "Can you read to me what you're studying?" she requested shyly. He didn't responsd right away, directing his eyes to the page he was on, before locking gazes with her again.

"I believe I told you to get some sleep." he said, flipping a page. "Besides, you're a second year so you have different material then we have, moron." At this, the raven haired girl became indignant.

"Well, I wanted to try to work on my homework!" she retorted to him, shoulders tense in anger.

"You can do that tomorrow." Mariya stated.

"Stingy! How long do I have to stay here cooped up in this room anyway?" Kanako argued. Mariya glared at her in frustration.

"Oi, if you don't shut up and get some sleep then I'll hit you with this book and knock you out with it!" Mariya threatened.

"Blah! You are just afraid I'll become smarter than you!" Kanako flailed her arms rapidly in fury.

"That wouldn't even happen in your dreams or a parallel universe with opposites of all of us." he told her bluntly. Rising up from his bed, and crossing the room once more, he held the book above her head with a scowl. Kanako yelped and ducked away, knowing that Mariya would hit her and knock her unconscious if she didn't relent.

However, what she expected to be a slam into her noggin was a slight tap on contact. Kanako looked up at him, whereas he wore a stern expression.

"Sleep." was all he said, and took the end of the book away from her head. He was quiet returning to his side of the room, and recommenced studying. The tall girl could only stare wide-eyed, before she roughly shook her head, ridding of any stupor, crashing down into her bed covers with a huff.

"Fine! I'll dream about lots and lots of beautiful girls! They'll be my personal harem and you'll be moping on the sidelines that everyone loves me and hates you!" she sniffled exaggeratedly.

"Again, another thing that will never happen in this lifetime or the next. Stop setting impossible goals for yourself."

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><p><strong>Karin: Wow, that turned out longer than I anticipated, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Hopefully this was an okay read for you all out there. What do you guys think? Should I keep going with this oneshot series? <strong>

**Thank you so much for your time and reviews are highly appreciated. Have a nice day. **

**See ya Next time! **


	2. Playground

**Karin: Gah! I don't know why but listening to Maria Holic's first ending made me want to write another oneshot really fast. I have a new appreciation for that song, so hopefully the song will have the same effect on others and make them write Maria Holic fanfiction too. I'm back with another drabble that attacked me a couple of days ago and I wanted to do that one next. It was too cute to resist. **

**Anyway, I'm very happy to see that people like this story already. I hope you continue to like these oneshots as I go along. This is the first time I'm uploading a file from my laptor so hopefully it turns out okay.**

**Disclaimer: **I have no ownership of Maria Holic.

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>Playground  
><strong>Rating: <strong>K+ to T  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>BoyMariya/Kanako  
><strong>Note: <strong>This is an AU and contains Mariya as a boy—so therefore he will be referred to as his original name Shizu Shidou. It is not the twin sister Shizu transformed into a boy—it is still Mariya, but since his original name was Shizu before he switched places with the current female Shizu, I am calling him Shizu in this one since that would be what he would be called if the whole switching places plot never occurred. Everyone understand?

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><p>"<em>There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."<em>

—Deepak Chopra

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><p><strong>II. Playground<strong>

Kanako sniffled as she wiped her snotty nose on her arm. A few hiccups escaped her lips and tears leaked from her eyes.

Stupid boys. They were always so mean to her.

Kanako released a growl of frustration, but it came out as a cough because of her congested airways. She swept her eyes roughly as her thoughts traveled to those horrid creatures known as boys. Why did boys have to be so mean anyway? You would think that boys and girls would be nice to each other, but she supposed that only happened when they were grown-ups because they knew that was when they had to get married.

At this point, dear reader, you are probably wondering what is so wrong with Kanako that she was teased by a boy? Though then again, she was teased by all the boys in her class, and some in other grades too, but we will address that matter eventually—I'm drifting from the original topic.

You see, Kanako was different, so the boys made fun of her a lot. She was very tall for her age, taller than all the boys in her class and even in the next grade above her. The boys—who felt their manly points decrease because of that—tease her relentlessly such as name calling like "Tokyo Tower" or stealing her recorder or gym shorts. It was a nightmare.

And since she was only in first grade, being that tall painted a very large target on her back. Oh the horror! The inhumanity!

..Those were the correct words to use in describing her situation, right? She heard her older sister using them when she heard her ranting to her friend over the phone that the guy she liked was dating a girl she didn't like, so Kanako thought that they were good words to present her case on how terrible her year in first grade was.

But anyway, back to the present of little Kanako's suffering. The tall, raven haired girl traveled to a deserted place under one of the oak trees, positive that the shade of the tree would hide her.

'_Yes! My defense fortress is unstoppable! No one would find me here!' _Kanako thought in triumph. A proud grin made its way to her features, making her feel better after her run in with the earlier taunts and jeers of her male classmates. She would be sure to tell her mother of her amazing accomplishment—

"Kanako-chan! Why are you sitting by yourself under a tree?" her fellow classmate and friend, Sachi, asked immediately spotting the raven haired girl under the tree. This caused any feeling of pride to fly out the window.

'_Dear Mommy back at home, Kanako is not a good ninja like she thought she was…'_

"I'm hiding, Sachi-chan!" Kanako told the orange haired girl, placing a finger to her lips to profess silence. Sachi tilted her head to the side, blinking in a confused manner.

"Why's that? Are you playing hide and seek, Kanako-chan?" she then looked around for anyone else that could be playing too. Then Sachi gave a gasp and tears came to her eyes, and Kanako was now the one confused.

"Kanako-chan," she sniffled, "Did you maybe find cooler friends to play with? Is that why you're not playing with Nanami-chan and Yuzuru-chan and me?" by now, huge tears came to the girl's large, crystal blue eyes. "Don't you love us anymore? Did we make you mad?"

"Eh?" Kanako cried out in alarm, and went to comfort her friend. "N-no! I love playing with you, Sachi-chan! And Kiri-chan and Inamori-chan too! You're my friends!" Kanako told Sachi, starting to tear up as well from hurting her friend. _'Dear Mommy back at home, Kanako has been a bad girl for she made her best friend cry!' _

"R-really?" Sachi hiccupped after hearing Kanako's speech of loyalty. "You haven't been playing with us lately, a-and I was thinking you didn't like us anymore… I mean, you've been so p-popular lately with all those boys following you around. I was scared that you wouldn't remember u-us. Kanako-chan is so nice and kind so having lots of friends is easy for you, after all."

'_Err… it's actually the opposite, Sachi-chan,' _Kanako wanted to voice out as a large sweat drop formed on her head, _'you're more likely to get popular with everyone than me with your cuteness…'_

"Don't worry, Sachi-chan, I won't forget you. I'm sorry that I haven't been playing with you for a while. I've been really busy lately—" _'Too busy hiding' _"—but that doesn't mean I don't like you anymore." Kanako smiled at her. "Actually, Sachi-chan, I was hiding because I'm pretending to be a ninja!" the raven haired child confessed excitedly making the other girl become enthusiastic also.

"Let's play ninja together! We can protect our village from bad guys!" Sachi suggested, and Kanako eagerly nodded her head, agreeing. "I'll go get Yuzuru-chan and Nanami-chan! That way we can all play together!" with that, Sachi ran off to locate the two others in their group of friends, leaving Kanako alone with her thoughts, smiling fondly after the girl.

'_Hmm, wonder if there will ever be a boy version of Sachi-chan…? That would be so cute! I would marry him within a heartbeat! If only my prince would come and save me, but wouldn't I have to be a pretty princess then? But I want to be a pasty chef for my little sister because she likes cakes, or I could be a genius copy-rider—" _

"You look stupid with that dazed look on your face. I'm surprised no one has tried to kidnap you since they would succeed without trouble." an arrogant tone sliced into her thoughts with a katana, causing the first grader to yelp and pivot to face the direction of where the voice came from, heart pounding in fear.

There stood a blonde haired boy with ruby eyes in a condescending stare. He was dressed nicely, yet simply—though that didn't fool anyone into not seeing the finery and wonderful quality of his clothing. Unconsciously, Kanako twisted her sundress anxiously, knowing that to him it might as well be considered rags. She couldn't help but gulp as he stared at her.

Despite being much shorter than her—almost reaching her mouth—Shizu Shidou was one of her tormentors who intimidated her the most. No, scratch that—he _did_ intimidate her the most. There was no competition. He was only in kindergarten—a year younger than her—and yet he was able to bully her and scar her for life better than any of the boys in her class ever could. He made fun of her sure, but Shizu was also capable of using her for plots to entertain himself like the time he called Ms. Dorm Lady—though none of them lived in dorms, it was what she was referred to, unless you were a younger student. Then you must refer to her as "God"—and said Kanako had eaten all of the strawberry shortcake for the school's Christmas party, and God was so angry that she made Kanako bake about fifty batches of it, and she did not get any for herself. In actuality, it was Shizu's favorite dessert, so he probably took the cake for himself and wanted more, using Kanako to get it for him.

There was another instance where Shizu thought it would be fun to celebrate one of their festivals with fireworks, and Ms. Dorm Lady agreed enthusiastically to his suggestion. Kanako herself was very excited for she had never really got to see fireworks in person before, but then Shizu set off some fireworks "by accident" and they "just happened" to be pointing in her direction. Of course, he made the completely innocent and big eyed expression filled with guilt to the adults when they asked him what had happened. Accident her butt! He was laughing at her the whole time while she was screaming and running away! She never ran so fast in her life!

Calling her names, pulling pranks on her, using her for his own gain—the list goes on, and Kanako is still confused as to why. She never really did anything to him. He didn't really even know her that well when he first met her since his adorable and pure younger twin sister Mariya liked to play with her a lot. She didn't really talk to him, so maybe she did something that set him off and earned his wraith. Probably jealous that his sister liked her more than him…

To sum it up, Shizu is just one giant meanie.

Kanako was brought back to the present when she realized the kindergartner was coming closer to her. She didn't have time to avoid when she felt his fingers pinch her cheeks and stretch her face around painfully, causing her to yelp.

"But then again, you're ugly so that is probably the reason why no pedophile has taken an interest in you or seen you as an easy target worth kidnapping, unlike me. Though I'm smart so there's no way I would find myself in a situation that you would likely end up in due to your stupidity." he drawled as he played with her cheeks like silly puddy. It didn't help her that while he was doing this, Kanako couldn't understand more than half of what he was saying. Curse his smartness!

"Gwah! Stwop! Stwop, Shiwu!" Kanako cried while flailing her arms around, his mind easily translating what she was telling him, but not caring about her demand that he cease. At her whining, he tightened his grip. At this, Kanako's noise increased.

"That's Shizu_-sama_ to you, Kanako." with that, he released her cheeks, but not before lightly slapping them with his hands, making the sting worse. "Without any respect or intelligence, of course you're going to be picked on, moron." he told her bluntly. A bile of anger boiled in the pit of Kanako's stomach and tears came to her eyes.

"You're the one who's picking on me the most, meanie! And I won't get kidnapped by a pebble of the Nile!" she yelled at him.

"Pedophile, stupid. Get your hearing checked." Shizu remarked with an 'Are you really that dumb?' expression.

"I don't need my hearing checked! I can hear fine! It's you that needs checking!" Kanako pointed her index finger at him.

"That's ironically funny coming from you, Kanako-senpai." a new voice chimed in with a bored tone. A blue haired girl in two pigtails came over to them, and Kanako recognized her as Shizu's very distant cousin Matsurika—who was also adorable, but her personality told Kanako quickly that she wasn't much for a sunny personality like Mariya was. She was often seen near Shizu, along with her twin Rindou and Mariya, but Kanako had a feeling she sometimes took part in Shizu's plots for her own amusement. Despite being cute, Kanako knew better from experience—she was Shizu's minion.

"I am not a minion to that devil, Kanako-senpai. I just like to watch interesting events unfold because it's entertaining for me." Matsurika stated, and Kanako jumped in surprise.

"Gah! Stop reading my mind!" Slamming her hands on her ears, Kanako hoped this would block Matsurika from her thoughts. Shizu and her were always doing creepy things like that, even though it's actually because Kanako was so easy to read that they knew what she was thinking, but she doesn't need to know that.

"Hey, you should be happy that you have the honor of being my minion, Matsurika." Shizu complained to his cousin, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no use for being an underling, especially to a conceited monkey."

"Is that so?" Shizu questioned with arrogance, his hands on his hips in a manner of authority. "What did you need anyway, Matsurika?" he inquired of his cousin with suspicion.

"Recess is about to end, and Mariya-sama was wondering where you ran off to. She wanted you to take her to see Kanako-senpai, but it seems you've already made the field trip by yourself, you selfish brat." she criticized in a monotone, and Shizu glared at her and sighed out in aggravation.

"Why would she even want to play with this moron?" he jabbed a thumb at Kanako for emphasis. "Mariya might catch that sewer rat's stupidity if she isn't careful."

"Hey! I'm a girl! Not a sewer rat!" Kanako bristled.

"So you admit to being stupid then." Shizu pointed out. Kanako cried tears, displaying her expression to the two younger children as a comical sight.

"Why are you always picking on me? Don't I deserve a break from your bullying?" Kanako sniffled.

"And still she doesn't deny that she called herself stupid and Shizu-sama pointed it out to her." Matsurika noted out loud to the blonde boy who nodded in agreement. Then the two of them turned to make their leave, but Shizu looked back at her sternly before departing.

"If you don't want someone to pick on you, then don't let yourself be left alone. It's like you are telling people to come bother you standing out like that." Then he turned and began walking away from her. "Why don't you use that freakish height of yours for something useful and scare them, idiot…" were his parting words. Kanako stared after him confused before narrowing her cerulean eyes and yelling after his disappeared figure.

"Look who's talking! You have to have a babysitter to come to get you! Baby!" she exclaimed, her shouts echoing so loud it scared many birds away, leaving Kanako huffing and puffing from all the activeness her lungs had endured in such a short period of time.

"Kanako-chan?" Sachi asked from behind the raven haired girl, tilting her head to the side. "Who are you yelling at?"

"Ah! Miyamae-chan! Your cheeks are red! Are you okay? Do you need to go the nurse?" questioned her friend Yuzuru. Beside her, Kiri nodded at the observation.

"Since I doubt Miyamae-chan is becoming a lobster, it is very high that she has a fever that is making her cheeks flush." Kiri pushed her loose glasses back up to the bridge of her nose. She still needed to go and get her frames fitted. They were too big for her unfortunately.

"Ah! N-No! Everything's fine! All dandy!" Kanako waved her hands in front of her to defuse any questions. She didn't want them to worry, and they would never believe her anyway. Everyone besides Shizu's close family and herself know his true nature. Everyone else thinks he's a sweetheart and would never consider him being capable of something mean, let alone the caliber of evil he has committed when it comes to Kanako.

"Ah, okay. Are we gonna play ninja?" asked Sachi.

"The bell's about to ring, though, Momoi-chan." Kiri announced, making Sachi pout sadly. Seeing this, the other girl amended, "But we can play tomorrow, can we, Miyamae-chan?"

"Y-Yes! Of course." Kanako quickly agreed, seeing the potential water works from Sachi as well. "We'll play all recess!"

"Yay!" Sachi exclaimed thrilled, throwing her arms up in the air.

And soon the bell rang letting everyone know recess was over.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong, Kanako-chan?" asked her mother when she saw her middle child approaching. Usually Kanako wasn't a quiet child, so seeing her solemn and pensive made the woman place down her dish rag and the plate she was drying to give her full attention to her child.<p>

"Mommy, why are boys so mean?" Kanako asked her mother. Her mother was a grown-up, and Kanako was sure she knew the answer. Grown-ups know everything after all.

Nonetheless, her mother gazed upon her with more confusion. She walked over to her six-year-old daughter and bent down on the kitchen floor, sitting on her knees so she was eye-to-eye with her child.

"Why do you think boys are mean, Kanako-chan?" her mother asked her concerned. Kanako was silent for a moment before answering.

"They're monsters, Mommy. That's why they scare me even though I'm bigger than them." Kanako confessed wearily. Her mother sighed and held her child close to her bosom in comfort.

"Boys are very strange, Kanako-chan." her mother smiled at her, as if knowing something her child didn't. Her eyes were shining, far away, as if she was thinking of a time long ago rather than seeing the present in front of her. "They don't say what they mean most of the time, so we have to push them to say the truth."

"What do you mean, Mommy?" Kanako questioned.

"You'll see one day, Kanako-chan." her mother smiled and patted her head. "So for right now, try to show them you aren't afraid of them. If you show you aren't afraid, then they will not think you worth their time. Can you be brave for Mommy?" she inquired her child gently.

Kanako nodded and told her mother she would be brave, but in the back of her mind, Kanako was even more lost. She sincerely doubted her mother's words for how could boys not say what they mean? She was pretty sure all the boys in her class and others felt she was a freak, because they told her so and showed her that she deserved being mistreated for being freakish.

Even Shizu called her freakish…

"_Why don't you use that freakish height of yours for something useful and scare them, idiot…"_

She's an idiot, huh? Well, she'd show him! She'd show them all that she wasn't afraid of them!

* * *

><p>The next day Kanako laughed in delight with her three friends during recess. Like they promised Sachi the day before, they were playing ninja with Sachi as an evil feudal lord, Kiri as the princess, and Yuzuru and Kanako as the ninjas.<p>

"Come back here, Sachi-sama! You can't win!" Kanako exclaimed chasing the orange haired girl. The orange haired girl grinned an evil smirk, playing her part well.

"Never! I shall rule the lands! You can't stop me!"

"We must save the princess from Lord Sachi before he marries her, Kanako-dono!" Yuzuru said worriedly. Kanako, playing the part of a serious ninja, nodded. This made the two ninja increase their speed to reach Kiri—who was contently reading a book—and Sachi at the sandbox.

"Oh, come to save the pretty princess, have you?" Sachi cackled in a horrible impression of a man's voice. "That won't happen for she shall become my bride!" she declared and ran through the sand box and to the other side near the fields where some boys were playing soccer. She giggled as she looked back at her pursuers.

"Sachi-chan! Look out!" Both Yuzuru and Kanako saw the outcome and sure enough, Sachi ran right in the middle of the soccer game and bumped into one of the boys, knocking him over. The boy cried out and fell onto another boy, causing a couple more of them to tumble. It was a train wreck of soccer players, with Sachi miraculously still standing.

"Eh?" Sachi voiced out worriedly, surveying the damage she caused with wide eyes. "Um… Ano… Oops…" she stuttered out not sure on what to say.

"Ow… watch where you're going, you dumb girl!" a boy sneered at her as he rose up from the ground. The harsh tone made Sachi's lower lip quiver, but she tried to speak her apology regardless.

"I-I'm s-s-so sor—"

"Just go away! You're annoying!" another boy cut her off, and Sachi—not used to being treated this way—started to have tears in her eyes at the obvious rejection. A couple of whimpers escaped her throat before her three friends came to her rescue.

"Sachi-chan is really sorry. Please forgive her." Yuzuru implored, hoping to leave in a peaceful matter. Kiri stood beside her impassively, but her shoulders were slightly tense at only four of them against all those boys.

"It was an accident." Kiri stated, fixing her glasses yet again. Nevertheless, the boys didn't seem to care whether or not it was an accident. It happened, and it interrupted their game. Therefore, they felt the one responsible needed to pay for it somehow.

"We'll accept her apology," the leader began, "But we get to throw our soccer ball at her a couple of times first. And they have to hit her." he added, grinning spitefully. Sachi cowered and clenched her eyes shut in fear. At her expression, something fierce erupted inside Kanako, and she rose to protect her friend from those villains that had tormented her.

"Hey! She said she was sorry you stupid heads! She didn't mean for any of it to happen, and you should be ashamed for even suggesting such a thing! Didn't your mommy ever tell you it's not polite to hit a girl?" Kanako snapped at them. However, the righteous anger inside her died down, allowing fear to step in, when they turned to her.

"Well, if it isn't Tokyo Tower..." one of them greeted her snidely to her. "Didn't think anyone would want to be your friend, but then again, they probably only play with you out of pity. Your friend is as disrespectful as you. I guess you're all just a band of freaks." this made all the boys laugh maliciously at them.

With them all laughing at her, the fear fell alongside newborn embarrassment. She felt humiliated and just wanted to hide in a hole. Her shoulders slumped and her body quivered, feeling hopelessness at her situation. She couldn't be brave like she promised her mother. What kind of person was she?

"Hey! I have an idea! Let's throw balls at Tokyo Tower instead! We've never done that before!" another boy shouted eagerly, like a child receiving a new toy. The others appeared to have agreed with his choice as they echoed cries of glee at the proposition. Kanako shrank back with a whimper. She was done for. That was it.

'_Dear Mommy back at home,' _Kanako began fretfully while they closed in, _'Kanako is about to meet her maker. And she's sorry that she wasn't able to be strong like you wanted, or less freakish and useless like everyone else wanted. I'm done for. I'm hopeless…' _she sniffled at how pathetic she really was. Couldn't she do anything right?

"_Why don't you use that freakish height of yours for something useful and scare them, idiot…"_

'_Wait!' _Kanako eyes snapped open and she straightened her posture, despite her hands trembling in clenched fists at her sides. She kept her tears at bay and used her eyes to glare very hard, titling her head downwards a bit so she was looking _down _upon them, showing that she was the taller person.

'_That's right! I'm bigger! I can scare them! I can do this!' _she bit the inside of her cheek hard, to the point of drawing blood to block out her terror at facing a lot of her tormentors at once and practically being surrounded.

And that was her final thought before she took the plunge and tackled the boy in front of her to the ground, the soccer ball soaring out of his hands. He gave a cry in surprise as she wrestled with him. Kicking, scratching, hitting, punching—she would do all it took to show she had had enough and that their days of torturing her are over!

If she was being rational, she would've realized that her actions were not very wise since she was only one person up against all of them. Her friends were probably too surprised to jump in, but hearing the sounds of slight scuffles around her told her they quickly got over their surprise.

Nonetheless, even that wasn't enough because all good things came to an end for Kanako when they were outnumbered and the boys yanked her off of her victim while her friends were also held captive. She thrashed and kicked, but couldn't break free. As the leader came to her, she was so angry at her situation and at him that she spat in his face. The leader growled at her, grabbing one of her low pigtails and pulled hard, and Kanako yelped in pain.

"I'll teach ya a lesson you won't forget, Tokyo Tower." he vowed darkly, pulling his fist back. Kanako stared wide-eyed as his fist came forward, but before his fist got too close to her person, something came flying out of nowhere and nailed him right in the face. Then the leader fell back onto the grass as everyone else gazed at the spectacle with shocked eyes.

"You're not a real man if you have to hit a girl to prove your point." a voice said, and behold—there stood Shizu Shidou standing by the sandbox with an air of arrogance. "You're pretty pathetic if you have to resort to hitting someone to get control. Guess you have no talent in the mental or verbal department when it comes to persuading people or getting them to listen to you. As expected of a commoner."

The rebuke had the leader simmering in rage. Though not understanding most of the kid's vocabulary, he could easily tell he was being insulted.

"Who are you to criticize me, kid?" the leader snarled at the blonde haired boy. "If you don't shut up, I'll hit you and make you go crying to your mommy." the leader smirked at the image of Shizu running away like a crying little girl. On the other hand, Kanako had a different image in her mind.

'_This kid's a goner if he keeps it up… and then Shizu will probably torture me next if he's still in a bad mood! Oh no! What if Shizu came to join forces with these boys?' _at the thought of more misery, Kanako 's eyes blurred with tears of despair. She just couldn't win apparently.

Yet Shizu made no move to appeal to the older boy. In fact, he only quirked an eyebrow as if saying 'Are you serious?' and stared at the boy like he was an idiot.

Which for picking a fight with him, he really was.

Shizu narrowed his eyes at the sight before him, then opened his mouth to voice out his thoughts on the matter—and to inform the dense boy of who _really_ holds the power.

"Listen _insect_," Shizu began with superiority, "I'm only going to say this once, and if your small brain can't understand what I'm telling you, then you'll suffer consequences." he threatened and made his way over to where Kanako and the leader were. As he passed the leader, Shizu knocked the boy down again to the ground swiftly with his hand. The leader and the boys spluttered as they witnessed the boy shove their leader without a problem, gaping when his other hand clamped on the same pigtail that their leader was pulling on the raven haired girl.

"I'm the only one who gets to make her cry. I'm her bully, understand rats?" and to prove his point, he yanked on the pigtail with Kanako complaining. His ruby red eyes glared, daring them to contradict his claim.

Nonetheless, it seemed his proclamation did nothing to deter the leader's idiocy, for the boy rose and started to advance on the blonde. "Why you—Aaahhhhhhhh!"

Suddenly the boy was cut off when the ground broke under him and he fell into a pit. Everyone except Shizu stared wide-eyed at the hole that was created out of nowhere. Just then, a newcomer with black hair and gold eyes came up from the ground with a shovel.

"Did I set my trap well?" the boy asked looking around. Upon seeing Shizu not in his trap, the boy frowned in disappointment. "Guess not…"

"Rindou, you're not supposed to trap me too." Shizu glared at his cousin. Even in the middle of a conflict, he still targets Shizu. Figures…

"Get me out of here!" the boy yelled. This roused the other boys and they screamed a war cry to get revenge but all of a sudden, sand was flung into their faces, and the boys cried in pain while one by one, they blindly fell into the ditch Rindou had made.

"Amazing brother—it looks like your war catalog actually has use for something besides satiating your war obsession." Matsurika praised in monotone while her hands held a bazooka for children. She stood in the sandbox, which obviously was her ammo if the crying boys who sobbed they had sand in their eyes was any indication.

"What's going on here?" Miss Kumagai—otherwise known as Miss Teddybear by her students—exclaimed when she reached them, a sniffling Mariya Shidou at her side. Hearing groans in the background, Kanako saw out of the corner of her eyes the boys Shizu trapped at the top and holding onto the edge tiredly. She turned back to see how Shizu would explain why there was a hole in the ground and why Rindou had a shovel or Matsurika had a bazooka, but was shocked—and yet a part of her wasn't shocked she supposed—when she faced Shizu's teary expression.

"Miss Kumagai," the boy began sadly. "These boys were being mean to Kanako-chan and her friends. They were calling her all these mean things like Tokyo Tower and pulling her hair."

'_You've done way worse you devil.' _Kanako couldn't help but think hotly. Ah, how could she forget about Shizu's ability to manipulate a situation in his favor? _'It's disturbing to see how easy he has everyone fooled…' _

"And then when I tried to help her, they told me they would beat me up and they pushed me to the ground. Mariya went to go find you and Matsurika and Rindou got hurt because they wanted to protect me." And sure enough, Matsurika was teary eyed as well, sniffling that those terrible boys put sand in her eyes and Rindou was saying they trapped him in that hole before they accidentally tripped in there themselves when Rindou climbed out. Shizu sniffled again, "I'm sorry that I couldn't wait for you to get here, but Kanako-chan was crying and I didn't want her to cry anymore. Those boys are always picking on her, and she was scared to tell you because they threatened to scar her for life so bad she would forget her entire childhood."

'_That was _you _that told me that, faker!' _Kanako growled in her mind.

"Will you stop letting them pick on Kanako-chan? Can't you make those bad boys go away?" Shizu pleaded to the teacher with an adorable, sorrowful expression, who was already in tears at the fact that such abuse was going on, and to her best friend's daughter no less!

Meanwhile all the boys gaped at the sight of that horrible imp twisting everything. They choked and stammered when Miss Kumagai turned her ferocious eyes on them, dry of tears and only containing hardness. She walked over and yanked each boy by their ear inside.

"Such insolence will not be tolerated! You children should be ashamed of yourselves! Your mothers will surely be mortified when I give them each a call to report you've been hurting girls! You wait until the headmistress catches wind of this. Shidou-sama does not appreciate such tyranny in her school!" Miss Kumagai fumed all the way back into the building. The shell-shocked boys turned back to the little boy, and they could swear their jaws were touching the ground at this point.

Instead of finding an angel who was crying his eyes out and sniffling with a cute expression, they saw a demon grinning at them and waving goodbye. "Have fun getting expelled, worms." he mouthed to them.

And as the boys were being dragged away, they felt two things: happiness to be away from that boy who could probably end their lives if he wanted and pity for the girl they bullied.

They didn't wish that horror on even Tokyo Tower.

* * *

><p>"That was amazing, Shizu-kun!" Sachi praised the younger boy. She clasped her hands together and gazed at him with admiration in her clear blue eyes. "You were so brave to protect Kanako-chan like that!"<p>

"What? Are you serious, Sachi-chan?" Kanako exclaimed. Didn't they just see what Shizu had done? Do they not see his true nature now?

"Indeed, it was very noble—like a knight coming to save his lady." Kiri shared her thoughts, fixing her glasses once more. Kanako gaped at Kiri. Wasn't she supposed to be the smart one? How is it that even Kiri is still fooled? Why has no one seen that everything was a part of his evil plot? He had Matsurika use a bazooka and Rindou dig a pit for crying out loud!

"Would you like to play with us, Shidou-kun?" Yuzuru asked. "You and your sister and cousins would make our games even more fun! Any person who protects our friend is welcome."

What was wrong with the world? Kanako wanted to scream. He even admitted to being her bully! How does that fly over one's head? She didn't need his protection! She needed protection _from _him!

As if reading her thoughts, Shizu looked over to her and smirked smugly at her, knowing the others didn't see. The smirk was a symbol of impending doom. She knew it was. The question was would she survive that doom?

"If you are sure…" Shizu began shyly. "I wouldn't want you to feel uncool for playing with younger kids…"

"That's silly! You're the coolest ever! Even more cool than that new trading card game from that show Yugi-something!" Sachi told him happily. Yuzuru and Kiri nodded to that declaration.

"If you're sure, then we would love to play with you." Shizu told them with a tentative smile.

And that is precisely when Kanako felt the world crash around her.

'_Dear Mommy back at home, Kanako was sure that the apocalypse wouldn't arrive until much later, but now she sees that it has decided to come early…' _Kanako mused mournfully, head bowed and shoulders slumped.

However, she was yanked roughly out of wallowing in her self-pity when she felt herself being tugged away. She looked up and nearly shrieked in fright when she saw it was Shizu who was tightly holding her by the hand.

"Sorry, but I think Kanako-chan needs to go to the nurse. She had a very tiring day, so we'll all play tomorrow, okay?" the boy excused them, her friends buying his act without an ounce of suspicion, calling after him their consent on the matter. Meanwhile, they continued their game with Mariya, Rindou, and Matsurika coming into their group.

'_Ah! He's going to finish the job that those beasts started!' _Kanako cried in her mind, anime tears sliding down her face.

"That was really stupid of you, _Kanako-chan_." he mocked her name at the end. "Have you learned anything about your lack of intelligence in situations getting you in trouble? Probably not from what I've just seen." Shizu reprimanded her.

"You're the one who told me to stand up for myself!" Kanako bellowed at him, digging her heels into the ground so he couldn't pull her along anymore. "You said I should use my freakish height to scare them, remember?" she snapped. At this, Shizu turned back to glare at her.

"I didn't mean run in there without a plan. I also told you to start using your brain or else you'll end up in those kinds of situations." Shizu retorted. "And I was right about that. You're such a hassle, moron."

"I'm a hassle? You're the one who's a hassle! You're worse than any of those boys combined! I wish it was you getting expelled! I should tell on you right now!" Kanako roared.

"Oh really?" Shizu raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "My grandmother's the highly respected chairman and I'm looked at by the school to be very innocent and popular. No one will believe you. In fact, I could get you expelled too before you could even begin your plan to expel me first."

"Your granny might." Kanako threatened back. Her eyes narrowed as well as his.

"She would just find it funny. Don't even try because you'll only end up humiliated in the end, Kanako." Shizu told her seriously. It was true—his grandmother would give him a lecture sure, but she wouldn't really punish him. She would just find the whole thing hilarious and tease him about it.

"Is your granny that insane?" Kanako asked astounded. Shizu nodded still serious.

"Of course she is. I'm her cute grandson after all." Shizu told her with conceited honesty.

"What a way to show you're modest." Kanako sweat dropped. Shizu sighed and let go of her hand, facing her with his arms crossed and the reprimanding expression back on his face.

"Either way, what you did was reckless, and therefore you should think more before you do something like that. Not having a plan and if I didn't show up would've been bad news for you. As a future member of the Shidou family, you have to wise up or else you'll get hurt like you could've been!" he scolded her. "You have to promise you won't be so stupid in the future. Understand, Kanako?"

Kanako only turned her head away with a haughty expression, not saying a word. Shizu scowled and grabbed her cheeks, pinching them harshly causing a squawk to erupt from her mouth.

"I said 'do you promise?'!" Shizu gritted out as he tugged on her cheeks.

"Gwah! Oway! I prowise!" she cried, flailing her arms.

"Good." Shizu said and released her. "Since you will be smartening up, then I won't have to go through the trouble of finding another victim to torture." he said.

'_So this is only for your sake, you selfish ninny!' _Kanako hissed in her mind.

"Hmm…" Shizu made a sound as he stared at her with a thoughtful expression. "On second thought, I don't believe you." he said flatly. Kanako stared at him in surprise.

"What? I just promised that I would look out for myself better! Why don't you believe me?" she questioned.

"I don't trust you. You might cause me more trouble in retaliation for teasing you." Shizu admitted his distrust in her bluntly. He then gave off a sigh and an exasperated expression. "I guess I have no choice." he muttered, but Kanako heard him.

"On what?" she asked. He opened his piercing red eyes and locked gazes with her cerulean ones. The intensity in them made her gulp in nervousness. For what, she had no idea.

"I have no choice but to monitor you from now on. It's the only way I can be sure you won't do something stupid." he told her. "You will be under my watch 24/7! Until you graduate and I'm sure you won't get yourself killed leaving me to find another victim, privacy will be an unattainable dream to you." Shizu elaborated. He then gave her a fake smile, the one he used to swindle everyone else to see a sheep instead of the wolf underneath. "So I hope we can get along, Kanako-chan!"

'_Dear Mommy back home, Kanako was incorrect about before being the end of the world… for now she is sure that this is the end of Kanako's world…'_

* * *

><p>"How was school today, Kanako-chan?" asked her mother when she came into the kitchen, a crushed expression on her face. "Did something happen? Were those boys being mean to you again?" she asked her child, worried that maybe things were progressing for the worse. Kanako shook her head.<p>

"Those boys are gone, Mommy." Kanako said. "But I need to become really smart, really quick!"

"Why's that?" her mother questioned baffled. Kanako looked at her mother with wide, frightened eyes.

"Because if I don't then Shizu will never leave me alone and give me Shidou family training! I'm going to die, Mommy!" Kanako cried as she hugged her mother's legs in an attempt to gain some form of protection from Shizu.

"Wha… What do you mean, Kanako-chan?" her mother asked blinking. Kanako sniffled and gazed up at the woman distraught.

"Shizu said I had to become smart! He said something about being a Shidou one day so I had to be more careful or I'll have shame! I don't understand what he meant, but I do know I'm going to die!"

Her mother only stared down at her with a shocked expression, pondering about her daughter's words. After a few moments, her eyes widened in realization. Oh… _Oh…_

A bright smile appeared on the woman's features and she giggled a bit. Lifting a hand, she stroked her daughter's hair gently while giddiness pooled in her belly.

"Oh, Kanako-chan—don't worry. Shizu-kun isn't going to kill you. He just wants to help you in his own way. And you should be honored that he wants to be around you. He's just getting you used to him going to be around you a lot later in life." her mother explained with another giggle. _'I should've known… why else would a boy tease a girl usually?' _

"Eh? What do you mean, Mommy? He said I'll never get any privacy!"

"That's just so you'll help adjust later. Think of it as training for when you will be a grown-up, okay?" on the inside, her mother was jumping up and down with tons of "awwws" coming out of her mouth. It was very hard to contain them.

"A grown-up? Oh! I get it! Shizu wants me to grow up faster so that way I won't be a hassle." Kanako concludes, nodding her head. "That makes sense. Well, then I'll just make sure I will be a super awesome grown-up really fast so that way he will leave me alone faster!" A grin lit up her face and she ran towards the doorway. "Bye Mommy! I'm off to be a grown-up!"

Once her middle child was away, her mother turned to fix dinner, a large smile on her face as she hummed "dun-dun-dun-dun" in a catchy tune that all women will become familiar with when they are old enough.

"Mommy?" her oldest daughter questioned as she entered the kitchen. She was Kanako's sister and was turning nine soon. "Why are you humming the wedding march? Is someone getting married?" she asked approaching her mother.

"When she's eighteen she will, Yume-chan." the oldest Miyamae female answered cryptically.

'_Unless that boy is used to getting what he wants and is impatient for it—then it will be earlier than that—not that I'm complaining either way.'_

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><p><strong>Karin: How many of you are grinning at the screen right now? I know I was when I was typing the last parts of this oneshot. Poor Kanako—she doesn't get ShizuMariya will never leave her alone for the rest of her life if he has it his way, which he most likely will since it's Shizu/Mariya. I probably screwed up their characters, but I tried to mix what we know about how they were as children and their current personalities—and if you've been keeping up with the manga to volume six, you'll notice I got a lot of little tidbits from volume six and four XD Hope you all enjoyed. **

**Thank you so much for everyone that reviewed or who plan to review. They are highly appreciated as always. **

**See ya Next time!**

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><p><strong>Replies to Reviews from Chapter One:<strong>

**Ladyfaffalot- **thank you so much. I'm glad you really enjoyed it. The fact that no one else was writing anything for this fandom is actually what compelled me to write something else for it in the first place. I look forward to your future reviews if you decide to review more in the future.

**Dancer-purple- **I'm glad you thought I did a good job with the IC in the first chapter, though I'm afraid I think I lost it in this one. Though they're children so I tried to capture their younger personalities from what I've seen and mix it in with their older selves. I hope I did an okay job with that.

**The Illustrious Tama- **Yeah, I know what you mean about no one putting anything in here. It makes me sad that no one's really writing anything for such an awesome series. I hope I didn't muck up their personalities in this one. I tried to mix their younger selves with some of the older personalities. Hopefully I didn't fail too badly.

**Natsori forevaX- **Awesome that you liked it. It seems you really wanted me to see your point since I got three copies of your review XD Hope you enjoyed the next installment.

**Lily Pad Rose- **With your review, my day has also been complete :D

**Noodle12- **While I'm honored that you want the first oneshot to keep going, I'm afraid that I can't change my whole plan from a oneshot series to a well-developed story since it's not fair to everyone else who wants to see more oneshots. However, there might be some sequel oneshots throughout the series so if I think of a really good idea for the first oneshot then I can try to make a next installment somewhere in here.

**Ichigopop- **Your praise to my writing is very well appreciated. Though I'm afraid I feel as if I lost that perfect characterization in this next installment. Hopefully it wasn't so bad and that you enjoyed it nonetheless. I agree though, I haven't seen anyone else really write MariKana—the ones that have kinda left their stories hanging. I'm afraid this fandom will die if no one's writing anything in here.

**TheMegajellibean- **Thanks so much. I wanted to make sure I had these two characters down before writing since these characters are ones I don't want to muck up. I hope you enjoyed their child versions too in this one.

**eXtraNIo- **lol, yes it will continue since so many people seem to like it. And I enjoy writing these very much.

**Koatan- **Yay! Other people are using the term MariKana now! The trend is slowly catching on. Epicness! And it's awesome that you found the first oneshot very well in-character. This show is a show where if you're going to write fanfiction for it, I feel you should get the essence of it first in the beginning so that way people will pay attention.

**Cassandra Jules Corrigan- **That is precisely what compels me to write so much for this fandom. It makes me sad that no one else is really writing anything lately. You would think since the second season is out now that more people would try to write stuff.

**Raineynight- **lol, yes I have understood your secret nudging. They will in some of them. At least one of them I'll have them kiss.


	3. Gaze

**Karin: Let's face it—I am having way too much fun with these drabbles to quit XD Now that I have successfully put out two drabbles without pain, I have decided to do a drabble starting from the series you've all been waiting for: Nutjobs and Sadists. This drabble is in a different style though than the first two so I hope it's okay all the same, but then again I did say in the summary that they would be of different variety so whatever I guess. **

**Disclaimer: **I have no possession or credit to the creation of Maria Holic

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>Gaze  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>hints of Mariya/Kanako, but it's more Kanako-centric than anything  
><strong>Note: <strong>This is an In-Universe, which means it takes place in the Maria Holic Universe.

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><p>"<em>Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it." <em>

—Sakyong Mipham

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><p><strong>III. Gaze<strong>

When Kanako was a little girl, she remembered when her mother had passed away, and her father looked on her grave as if his world had died—though young at the time, young Kanako knew that was exactly what it was for her father and mother loved each other very much. They had the rest of their lives to be together, and her mother—so young and so full of life—was gone when they were only beginning the journey of spending the rest of their lives together.

She could understand if her father felt cheated.

She recalled her sisters crying as she watched her father solemnly with worry. Despite not being the smartest in her family, Kanako could be credited to be the most observant when it came to reading people's feelings. It was upsetting, and her heart broke, knowing that a piece of her father had died with her mother as well.

It frightened her to think of how he would be now. Would he be different? Distant? Cold? So she went to him quietly, she remembered herself doing. She didn't say anything at first, but she gently let her father know of her presence without hesitation. Grasping his large hand in her tiny one, his weary eyes slowly turned to her wide, melancholy eyes, shining with empathy.

She understood. And therefore she would be the grown-up right now for her father—so he wouldn't have to be when he was already hurting.

"Mommy loves us," Kanako told him. "She wouldn't leave us completely. She loves us too much." she added.

And Kanako remembered vividly most of all her father's eyes when he looked at her after that. His eyes glistened with tears that wouldn't fall—and she did not make a sound to alert her sisters of his grief. It would be a secret she would keep.

"Yes," he choked out slightly. "Yes—she's watching over us right now. She's looking out for us up in Heaven, Kanako. Never forget that." he formed a grip on her hand like she had on his.

"I won't." she promised him, still gripping his hand.

Years passed and Kanako never forgot that. She never once forgot that her mother was watching over them. Protecting them and loving them perched on her own fluffy cloud in the sky. She may not believe in God, but she certainly believed her mother's soul was still thriving in Heaven.

So life went on for Kanako, and she grew up into a pretty seventeen-year-old girl who was taller than her average age, but she knew her mother in Heaven still loved her despite being taller than any of the girls in her class and family. It didn't matter that Kanako wasn't smart or that she wasn't a social butterfly. She knew her mother loved her. Just like any parent would love their child despite their faults.

And as she grew older, and was bullied constantly, she reminded herself over and over that her mother still loved her regardless. No matter if she was "giraffe" or "Eiffel tower" to her male classmates, she was Kanako to her mother. Her precious daughter that she loved more than anything.

So when she was in her first year of high school and fell in love with a girl for the first time, she knew her mother would still love her despite her changed sexuality. She remembered leaving elementary and junior high—both times she had been bullied by boys and her first year of high school wasn't any different. At this point they scared her—made her feel insignificant and ugly—and Kanako was so disgusted and frightened by the opposite sex that her entire body started to show reactions physically in the form of red, irritated and itchy hives over the point of contact she had with said male.

She remembered herself crying at yet more jeers and taunts of her male classmates. It seemed to her that no matter how old she was or what school she was in, males were cruel and cold beings who rejected her. She then vividly recalled her relationship with her own father at that point in time. The closeness they once shared now lacking due to her being the black sheep—not smart nor pretty in her mind—of the family and being afraid of the opposite sex. It's not like they meant it to happen, it just did, and neither of them knew how to go about fixing it, so they let it be. This realization at the fact that the only parent that she did have felt like a stranger to her these days only made her cry harder. It hurt. It hurt way too much, and Kanako didn't know how to fix it and make herself happy again.

But then, as she sat on the bathroom floor with tears flowing down her cheeks, a voice spoke to Kanako. It was soothing and wonderful to her, and the voice asked her if she was okay. Kanako remembered looking up and seeing another girl gazing down at her with concern on her face. She then sat next to the depressed tall girl and asked her what was wrong. Meanwhile all Kanako could do was stare at her in shock, not speaking until the girl gave her an encouraging smile. The girl was so kind and gentle as she listened to Kanako tentatively confess her woes. Kanako couldn't believe such a wonderful person existed ever since her mother had died. And when Kanako was finished, the girl smiled compassionately at her once more and hugged her, rubbing her back reassuringly, and telling her comforting words. This caused Kanako to cry more, though this time in happiness and relief.

The girl reminded Kanako of her mother.

The girl introduced herself as Ayumi, who seemed to have taken a liking to Kanako and proceeded to be her friend. They ate lunch together, walked to school together (it turned out they both lived in the same area), did homework together, and hung out when they felt like it on the weekends. Through her, Kanako was able to meet some of Ayumi's friends, who were all girls, and once more Kanako was astounded at how nice they all were and how they could make her smile. They all gave her the same feeling as her mother did, and that was what made Kanako like them so much.

Unlike men, women were nice to her. They joked with her. They hung out with her. They had conversations with her. They cared about her. They paid attention to her and didn't treat her as an afterthought. They treated her like a person—like her mother saw her as when she was alive.

Women were truly beautiful in Kanako's eyes. So it wasn't a surprise that she began to fall in love with these magnificent angels for she viewed her life with a woman to be much happier than being a man.

In any case, they were just like her mother was, so she knew her mother in Heaven would be happy with her choice.

And when Kanako discovered some Yuri sites full of dirty details and explicit imagery by accident one day, she knew even then her mother in Heaven loved her despite her now corrupted mind and constant nosebleeds around her female friends.

For a mother loves her child regardless—even if they are extremely perverted.

So after subscribing to Yuri Friends Monthly without any shame whatsoever—because dear mother in Heaven loved Kanako no matter what—Kanako found herself in a bit of a pickle in her new mental lifestyle. You see, when she first met Ayumi, she had admired the girl because she reminded her so much of her mother, but over the course of the several months after Kanako had realized she swam in the lady pond, the tall girl began to notice other things about her dear friend.

Like how her sandy brown hair was extremely soft and flowed perfectly onto her right shoulder. How her caramel brown eyes sparkled prettily and her face was very lovely—her kind personality only made those features shine even more. But what Kanako noticed most of all, thanks to her now soiled mind full of perversion and lechery, was her dearest friend's amazing body: those creamy thighs that wore that mini skirt _so damn well_ and her fitted uniform top not bothering to hide her bust instead rather _high-lighting_ to Kanako, who couldn't help but sneak a peek every time she was in Ayumi's company, resulting in massive nosebleeds about twenty times a week.

You would think that by that point, Kanako would seek a solution to her problem or some form of self-control on her thoughts, but in fact, she did the opposite and let her unholy fantasies of her friend and her run wild through her brain constantly. It was getting so habitual that at this point it was hard to keep up with her studies even more so than usual. Her father took note of her falling grades and—being a man who valued education due to his career as a teacher—confronted her about it, sternly instructing her to clean up whatever act she was doing and to concentrate on her studies. Kanako only nodded, but she knew what her mind had morphed to would not change overnight for her father, neither would she want it to nor let it.

But no matter her bad grades or unholy mind, she never forgot that her mother in Heaven loved her dearly.

It was near the end of the school year when Kanako decided to confess to Ayumi and, hopefully, form a relationship more than friendship. It's not like being friends with Ayumi wasn't' great, but Kanako wanted what all girls her age wanted—someone to share their affection with and (idealistically) someone to spend the rest of their life with that they would find in high school, and she knew that Ayumi was the perfect candidate for that dream.

However, her plans of a happy yuri-filled dream throughout her high school career with Ayumi went down the toilet when the shorter girl came to her excitedly one day saying she was asked out by Nakamura Hiro, a second year in their school. The fact that her friend was now taken—by a _boy_ no less!—made every single fantasy Kanako had of her and Ayumi together shatter into millions of tiny pieces that she couldn't repair.

So after cursing herself millions of times for forgetting that Ayumi still swam in the opposite pond, comforting herself with the special edition of Yuri Friends Monthly complete with explicit imagery for a week, and gazing at other pretty girls to help her sorrows heal, Kanako gave up on Ayumi ever being anything more than a friend and, perhaps sadly, she would never find a pretty girlfriend here when there's all those disgusting males to distract them.

But then her salvation came in the form of her father's previous position at an all-girls school back when her mother was a student and had attended it. It was where her parents met and fell in love and it gave Kanako the hope that she needed in finding her own love story. After all, if a student and a teacher could fall in love in a religious school, then surely Kanako can find a female companion to share the rest of her life with and have amazing yuri-filled days together! Kanako was so happy about her discovery that she passionately told her father that she would like to study there immediately.

"Father, I want to go to Ame no Kisaki!" she announced to him while he was in his study grading papers. Her father looked up at her confused.

"It's not that I'm not pleased you want to study at such a prestigious school, Kanako, but are you sure you can get in? I mean, the entrance exam period already passed and you're already done your first year of high school—transferring could be hectic. You would be behind, you wouldn't know anybody while everyone knew each other, and you couldn't come home on a whim whenever you wanted. You would have to wait until the break—are you sure this is what you want?" her father asked her. Kanako nodded vigorously, and slammed her hands down on his desk, rattling his papers.

"Yes Father! It's the only way I can look upon the garden of beautiful women—I mean, further my education in the arts of delightful ladies—I mean, learn all there is I need to learn! I was meant for this school! I'm sure this is what Mother would've wanted for me too! " Kanako told him determined.

Her father blinked for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"Erm… alright then… I'll give them a call and see if they can make an exception and let you take the entrance exam." her father replied baffled at his daughter's behavior, completely missing the fact that she mentioned "beautiful women" and "delightful ladies" after "look upon" in her speech.

He must've believed grading all those papers was ailing his brain and thereby thought he imagined her saying those things…

And so, after her father's call, she was set up to take the entrance exam for Ame no Kisaki. She studied her pants off not once, but ten times over just to pass. This was crucial to her life so of course she was going to study her pants off to be able to attend the school of gorgeous maidens!

As if she couldn't keep her priorities straight! Really!

'_Beautiful girls! Lovely girls! Stunning girls with miniskirts! Gorgeous girls tall or short! Slender or well-endowed! Beautiful girls surrounded by moeness! Hehehehehehehehehehehe!' _Kanako sang in her mind, her dirty mind conjuring hardcore fantasies left and right, faster than a hundred mile dash.

…making her have a nosebleed all over her exam…

"Gggaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Nnnoooo! Stop the bleeding! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Kanako cried.

Luckily after her little "accident" the teacher provided her with another copy and she was able to take the exam without fault (she stuffed tons of tissues up her nostrils so that way even when her fantasies were invading her mind, the blood wasn't drowning her paper).

And a week later was when she got her results—she just passed, but the exam was hard as hell so it was okay! And now she got to attend the school of her dreams and wildest perverted fantasies! It was the best day of Kanako's life!

Mother in Heaven must be so proud of her for her to be granted such fortune! It was surely a sign that good things were definite to come.

'_Dear Mother in Heaven, Kanako is now standing in front of the gates of your former school.' _Kanako smiled excitedly when the day finally arrived. _'The school where you and Father met and fell in love, I hope to have the same fortune in finding my own soul mate.' _Kanako told her mother while she walked through the school grounds.

It wasn't long after that that Kanako had met the perfect candidate. The person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The person who would share all her yuri-filled days of love with. The blonde haired goddess Shidou Mariya who accomplished in one smile that her friend Aizawa Ayumi couldn't even accomplish after a hug or huge sign of affection by making Kanako stare at her beauty star-struck and her knees weak.

Her soul mate.

Oh Dear Mother in Heaven! She wished she could run her fingers through that long blonde hair or hug the younger girl to her bosom because she was that cute! She was so nice and kind, helping Kanako out with navigating through the school grounds and inviting her to tour the school with her later. She had looks and a great personality! She was perfect for Kanako!

And then when that beautiful maiden gently yet sensually kissed her cheek, Kanako was ensnared hook, line, and sinker by Miss Mariya Shidou. She knew from that kiss that Mariya was definitely the one she wanted, and she would be the one she would pursue to have as her romantic partner.

Yes, there were other pretty girls, don't get her wrong. In the end, she did leer—I mean, _look _at them too, but her thoughts drifted quickly back to the blonde haired girl with intense ruby eyes. Eyes that made her very anxious to gaze into again that very afternoon when she would be meeting her to tour the school.

Because Mother loved her so much; so that was why she had sent Mariya Shidou to be with her.

That was Kanako's last thought before she opened that cursed door in the archery club revealing fake boobs and a deeper voice shooting everything straight to Hell.

Then when the day was finally over and Kanako had imprisoned herself under that lying demon in disguise as an innocent girl, she lied in her bed staring mournfully at her ceiling, teary-eyed.

'_Dear Mother in Heaven…' _Kanako started, sniffling loudly, _'Kanako now sees that clearly you were not proud of who I am and are punishing me for my sins, even though you went _way_ too far in doing so as I shall be suffering for not just this day, but for the rest of my high school career with that _(insert a shudder here)_ boy! This is going to be a long two years. Mother, even if you're disappointed, please watch out for your child…' _Kanako begged in her mind desperately.

For when the day started, she believed her Mother in Heaven was definitely smiling down at her when she first caught the sight of ruby eyes, but then she quickly discovered that those ruby eyes were a sign from the devil and her Mother in Heaven was frowning on her instead.

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><p><strong>Karin: Okay, so there you have it. Not as good as the first two, but I hope it was a good read all the same. Sorry there wasn't much MariKana in this one. I want to thank you all for being so patient with me with this story. A lot has happened and I'm so happy I was finally able to update this since my first draft for this drabble was horrible, so I had to cut and edit, and remake some things. <strong>

**But anyway, yeah, I finished "Maria Holic Alive" a while ago. I liked it—especially the last episode, but I was sad they didn't put in a smidge more of MariKana throughout the series instead of just doing it in the first and the last episode of the new season, but whatever. Hopefully the newest volume of the manga will come out soon and there will be some MariKana in that to give me even more inspiration for oneshots/drabbles to provide for your entertainment. **

**Though I have to say, I really hated Kanako's sister. She annoyed me. I don't know why, but I just didn't like her. Well, actually that's a lie—I know why I don't like her, but I'm not going to get all ranty in case there are some of you that do like Miki. **

**Anyways, reviews as usual are always highly appreciated and I thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Thank you so much for your support!**

**See ya Next time! **

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><p><strong>Replies to Reviews from Chapter Two: <strong>

**(Okay, I'm going to apologize about any type of spelling error or typo that I missed while I was proofreading since I am finishing up this chapter and replies at almost four in the morning so I'm very sorry if there are mistakes anywhere in this chapter, whether they be in the oneshot, author's notes, or replies to reviews. Hope you all have a nice day.)**

**Lily Pad Rose- **You're thinking is right on the money, ohoho XD I'm so happy you liked it. I was so afraid people were going to hate it if they were children.

**Natsori forevaX- **Lol it's okay. That just means your phone was sending me thrice the love.

**The Illustrious Tama- **Yay! A person who finds them as kids cute! And thanks for saying I kept them in character, but also saying anything they don't have when their teenagers they either get or lose when they go through puberty XD I'm glad that you also liked the second to last scene with Shizu/Mariya and Kanako. That was actually the scene that played in my mind that birthed that oneshot.

**Koatan- **I'm really happy that so many people liked the second to last scene with Shizu/Mariya and Kanako, since that was the scene that inspired me to write that oneshot and I worked really hard to plan that scene out perfectly because I'm meticulous like that for some reason. Yes, Mommy Miyamae's completely okay with it. She would probably gleefully sign a special license too if Shizu/Mariya wanted to marry Kanako earlier than when she's eighteen without a struggle and with a smile on her face. And yes, Shizu/Mariya as a kid is quite terrifying…

**Densetsu-no-Maguro- **It sounds glorious, and I'm sure Shizu/Mariya would agree XD I think that there is a possibility that this pairing is canon. It's probably just going to take a while unfortunately T_T

**Dancer-purple- **Thank you very much—I'm glad you liked it. And that part with Shizu/Mariya insulting her and she misheard him was very fun to write. I even laughed when I went back to proofread it. To be honest, for me, Sachi is very easy to write so it's great that you found her so entertaining. I just hope that this drabble didn't change your opinion of my performance with these oneshots.

**Ladyfaffalot- **I hope that this update wasn't disappointing. And it's great that you like that I respond to my reviewers. I find it fun and it's great to let people know that you really do appreciate their support. Plus, it's not fair to some reviewers if they review anonymously and you can't reply back to them while some have accounts and you can respond back to them. It's more organized for me to reply back to everyone by doing it this way. Hope to hear from you again soon!

**Reimars- **I know the feeling—no one really writes for this fandom so I get so sad when I can't read Maria Holic fanficiton. Though I feel as if I didn't reach people's expectations with this oneshot so maybe I've lost my touch…but anyway, besides the last episode in the second season, not really, but hopefully the author will eventually get them together. I mean, there are—even though they're miniscule—hints of them might ending up together. It's just waiting for it that's the hard part. Hopefully I kept Kanako in character for this one. Thank you for the good luck wishes!

**Raineynight- **Indeed, you almost pulled the wool over my eyes :D You must be some kind of magician or something! XD I'm happy you liked this. Since so many people like it, I might do a sequel to that drabble later on if anyone really wants it. I'm sorry though if this drabble didn't meet your expectations, but I do hope it was a good read all the same and that Kanako amused you.

**Bob22- **Awesome! Thank you so much for the compliment. And yes, they are a cute pairing. I wish there was more fanfictions about them. Don't worry, I plan to continue. I like writing these so I hope you will enjoy them.

**Insanely-normal- ***wipes sweat off forehead* Phew! I'm very glad that I wasn't one of those people who screwed up. I hope you still enjoyed my writing in this chapter. It's awesome that so many people found Shizu/Mariya scary since I had to wrack my brains on that one; so, I tried to think in the mind of Shizu/Mariya and his tendency to be spontaneous XD It must've worked. I am thinking of doing a sequel to that oneshot since so many people liked it, and your suggestion sounds really interesting. I'll have to really think of something good if I'm going to do a sequel. And even if your idea features a bit of smut—or a lot of smut I guess from your description—as long as it's written good and you have good characterization, I don't think it should be a problem. If you really want to write it, I say go for it.

**Romina Baskerville- **yes, finding a good fanfiction for this fandom is difficult indeed, though I don't think mine's that great, but I find it fun to write and it makes me really happy that so many people like it so far. Thank you so much for your support.

**.Affair.- **Yes! The trend of using MariKana continues XD Woot! I am thinking of doing a sequel later on maybe, so I hope if I get a really good idea that you will enjoy it.

**Soshrina- **Thank you so much. I'm honored you think my fanfic is that great.

**Alexzane T- **Thank you! I hope you continue liking to read them.

**James Birdsong- **Woot! I got a cheer! :D

**MoodyAura- ***blushes* I'm so honored that you think that, but I have a feeling I failed in that skill this chapter. I don't know… I just feel like maybe I didn't write Kanako as good or as correct as I should have. It was fun to write nonetheless. This fandom does need more love! I wish that there were more fanfictions in this section for MariKana! I would be so happy. And I saw your author's note at the end of your Maria Holic story for my fanfiction. Thank you very much for the compliment and I really like your story too! It's really good and I can't wait to see more from you!

**Illacoy- **To be honest, if you haven't said anything about your English being poor, I wouldn't have thought you were bad at it at all. Besides one or two grammatical errors, you've written correctly and quite well. As for "Nutjobs and Sadists", those drabbles are going to be featured in this fanfiction as well as my own plot bunnies like I said in the beginning. I just wanted to get two oneshots out first before I went onto to something from "Nutjobs and Sadists". This oneshot was the first one featured from "Nutjobs and Sadists" so I hope I didn't do bad at it. I hope you liked reading everything so far.


	4. Uninvited

**Karin: I'm back folks! It's been a while hasn't it? I'm really sorry I have not updated this fanfiction for so long. Lots of stuff was going on and it's kinda rough right now, but I found this old file in my flash drive and decided to revise it and post it… after losing the flash drive multiple times and being sad that I would not get to finish it—but then I found it again and was able to finish so I am happy! I feel like I'm off my game so this oneshot might be really bad, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

**I apologize for any grammatical errors or sentence structure that I have missed. Been staying up a lot to study or do homework and haven't really caught up on my sleep. =_=  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: **I possess no ownership of Maria Holic.

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>Uninvited  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Mariya/Kanako  
><strong>Note: <strong>This is another In-Universe manga, but takes place years after the beginning of the manga. Shizu and Mariya have switched back by this point, but shall be referred to as their reverse roles when addressing them since they are pulling a switch-a-roo again for a brief time period. Matsurika is still with Mariya while Rindou is still with Shizu. Kanako is 22 here while Mariya is 21.

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><p>"<em>Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive."<em>

—Eliphas Levi

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><p><strong>IV. Uninvited <strong>

The atmosphere at Ame no Kisaki was calm, serene. It was like any other day at this holy and gracious school for young girls to learn. The very title of the school inspired grace, beauty, and hope…

_Mama in Heaven… _a man dressed in black thought silently. His posture erect and his fists clenched at his sides. His eyes were closed and red hair swaying gently in the breeze. His Adam's apple throbbed as he swallowed down his fear. Ice blue eyes snapped open, containing a fierce-like quality to them as he gazed upon the building in front of him.

_Mama in Heaven, today is the day!_

This man's name was Touchirou Kanae—or Father Kanae he was more commonly known as—one of the teachers at Ame no Kisaki who teaches Modern Japanese. Now you are all probably wondering why in the world this young man is so nervous and where he is going. These wonderings revolve around one thing and one thing alone…

Shidou Mariya.

_Shidou-kun—the beautiful flower of my life. The melody that plays in my heart and soul—not that Shiki-kun and Shinouji-kun aren't special as well, but Shidou-kun is the first goddess of my life. She is important to me, and as her lover—I mean _teacher_—I cannot forget her sweet voice or caring personality. _

It was saddening to reality, but Father Kanae had to face the fact that she wouldn't stay at Ame no Kisaki forever—as proof of that, she graduated about two years ago and was now the chairman of Ame no Kisaki and Mihoshi no Mori, which her grandmother once presided over.

You'd think that this would be a dream come true for Father Kanae since his love was near him still on the campus, but it made it even worse for him—because Mariya has barely made a public appearance since her graduation; usually there would be messengers to take care of business and such, passing on Mariya's orders. The young woman was quite busy and was not really allowed so much free time.

_Shidou-kun… a wonderful flower such as yourself should not wilt indoors all day. Flowers should be out in the sunshine, enjoying the warmth and should be able to have the encounters of a passionate romance instead of being cooped up in an office all day!_

But that ended today! Father Kanae had had enough of not being able to see the blonde haired girl. After not seeing her loveliness for many months (it's really only been three) since her last public appearance working as chairwoman, he decided that it was time he was able to see her again!

_I shall save you Shidou-kun!_

And that's what led us to our current setting. Standing in front of the chairman's estate, the red haired man's heart pounded erratically against his rib cage. He was so nervous; his entire body sweated a waterfall. A little voice in the back of his head proposed that maybe he shouldn't be doing this…

…However a flash of the sweet Mariya popped in his brain with exaggerated sparkles and moeness making that voice shut up quickly.

_BAM! BAM! BAM! _Father Kanae began to bang on the door enthusiastically with newfound vigor. It didn't take long for the doors to open and gold eyes peered outside with a bored expression. Father Kanae's heart went _doki doki_ when he realized who it was.

"Shinouji-kun!" he exclaimed with a blush on his face. The blue haired maid only stared at him blankly.

"What is it?" she asked monotonous. Her question brought him back from Cloud 9 and he shook his head ridding away the (perverted) fantasies of the blue haired maid.

"I have come to see Shidou-kun!" he told her straightening his shoulders. "Is she here, Shinouji-kun?"

Matsurika just blinked at him before her eyes took on a thoughtful quality to them—as if she was thinking over something. It was silent for a few moments before her voice spoke up again.

"Mariya-sama asked not to be disturbed today."

"Well surely she can spare some time for an old teacher?" Father Kanae tried to persuade the maid. He wasn't going to be deterred easily.

_Please understand, Shinouji-kun! Shidou-kun doesn't deserve to be locked away. She must be able to run free and find her prince charming. Such youth and beauty cannot be hid away from the world! _

"Mariya-sama is very busy with…" she paused for a second, searching for the right word, "work." She said it like there was a secret meaning behind it that Father Kanae did not understand.

"But—"

"Good day." she interrupted and shut the door in his face.

The male stood there blinking in a stupor. Then the thought just occurred to him:

His advances were rejected.

_Mama in heaven… I failed. _his head bowed in misery, slumping to the ground. While wallowing in his despair, the red haired male spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

Turning his head, the priest caught sight of green vines peeking out from around the corner where the side of the mansion was. Walking to the side of the house, Father Kanae was surprised to see vines scaling up the side of the residence in a decorative manner.

On closer inspection, the vines lined up with one of the upper windows on the second floor that—by chance—was ajar a little.

_Mama in Heaven, I have come across some luck! I shall scale up these vines and be Shidou-kun's prince! _Father Kanae exclaimed in his mind, fire burning in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he began scaling the vines, not once questioning his ethics or the fact that this was a felony. _It's to rescue a maiden from solitude after all. _

He was just about to reach the window when a ripping sound came to his ears.

"Hmm?" His eyes examined the piece of vine he was holding… only to see that the vine was breaking until it completely detached, allowing gravity to do its job.

"Aahhhh!" Father Kanae yelled, flailing, as he crashed down to the earth. The man laid spread out awkwardly while some of his limbs twitched strangely. Swirly eyes completed the disoriented and pain-experiencing look.

_Mama in Heaven… I have been punished for such felonious actions… Could this not be the right thing after all? Could I perhaps be wrong in trying to rescue Shidou-kun from her prison? But how is it wrong of me to do that? Is this God's way of telling me that this isn't right after all? _

He lied there, staring up at the sky with a melancholic expression. The priest lifted one of his arms up to shield his eyes from the bright sun, his lips parted as his mind was in a daze.

He thought of Shidou-kun's beautiful smile and luscious blonde hair. Her lovely crimson eyes were teary, staring up at him through long lashes.

"_Father…" _he heard her saying. The angel gazed up at him, pleading. _"Father, please don't give up on me…"_

Father Kanae made a grunting noise, wincing as he pushed himself to stand.

"Shidou-kun…" he muttered out. Raising his body to full-height, he glared up at the sky determinedly. "Don't worry. Soon you won't be crying anymore!" he declared dramatically as birds flew in the background and the breeze blew.

Pivoting towards the vines, his eyes gleamed and he launched onto them vigorously, hoisting himself up towards the second story window—this time holding more than one so the tension wouldn't be as great, as it would be if he only used one vine to support himself. He kept telling himself that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing—that it was completely okay to scale up someone's house and climb into their open window.

Yup, absolutely normal.

Once he reached the window, Father Kanae hastily crawled through the window like a crab landing safely on the second floor.

_Mission success! _Gazing around, the man found himself in a hallway._ Now onto to find Shidou-kun!_ With the image of Mariya with the sparkly background and the extra moeness to motivate him, Father Kanae diligently proceeded to look for where his beloved might be.

_Where? Where are you Shidou-kun? _he asked himself. Usually after one thinks that, they get some kind of sign or bright light indicating where their object of search might be, but no such thing happened.

Well, not in the form of magical light or spiritual intuition that is…

Passing by one of the doors, he heard some scuffling sounds making him immediately backtrack to where the door was. Father Kanae placed his ear at the door and indeed, the scuffling continued.

_What is that sound? _His ear twitched as he continued to listen. _Hmmm… it sounds like there's a lot of movement inside. Could it be… A BURGLAR?! _Father Kanae's eyes widened in shock and he scowled, raising a fist to his chest. _Shidou-kun's house is being invaded by a burglar! I must stop him at all costs! As Shidou-kun's knight—I mean, protector!—I have to defend Ame no Kisaki's beloved chairwoman!_

Deciding to investigate, he placed his hand on the doorknob and began to crack it open.

"Ah! Wait! Wait!" a voice called from inside the room when the door was open about an inch. Obviously the occupant of the room heard the door opening.

Father Kanae furrowed his brow in thought. That voice sounded familiar… but where has he heard it before? It was female, that was for certain, but it wasn't Mariya's voice…

Some sounds occurred inside the room and the door was pushed shut from the other side blocking out any type of voice. There was some more scuffling before the door was suddenly opened and someone raced outside, slamming the door behind them and leaning against it while panting heavily.

Blue eyes widened when they caught sight of the person panting against the door. It was three years since he's seen her, but he could be sure it was her.

"Miyamae-kun?" he asked with a tone of uncertainty in case it wasn't her. After all, Kanako should be attending college in Tokyo—or at least that's what everyone said she was doing when she was graduating. Hell, even she said she was doing that so of course he was going to be unsure if this person was her!

_Mama in Heaven, after three years I have come across one of my other previous students. I am surprised to see her here, and assume her lack of contact has something to do with the loss of her brother, who I resemble. Perhaps she never came to visit because I reminded her too much of him and the pain was too great! _Father Kanae monologued in his mind while staring intently at the young woman.

"Eh?" her head looked up at him with her cerulean eyes. Her raven hair was a little past her shoulders now and maybe she was an inch or two taller. She was dressed in a white long sleeve blouse and a black pencil skirt reaching a couple of inches above her knees with black heels. Upon seeing who called her name, her eyes widened and she pressed herself against the door harder. "Ah! Eburrgh!" she screamed some gibberish.

Father Kanae tried to figure out was she said—he never understood why she shouted random things when he was around, but he assumed it had something to do with her dead brother who passed away from Tchaikovsky disease. When Kanako was a student at Ame no Kisaki, Father Kanae remembered how he had tried everything to help her through her crisis of grief. Perhaps he could try to bring up the subject now…

"Miyamae-kun, I know about your—"

"Gah! Wh-what are you doing here?!" she interrupted him as she tried in vain to merge with the door.

Of course Father Kanae didn't gain any success in that department…

"Well, I—"he was about to attempt to make amends with the former student, but his eyes caught sight of other things and he became worried. "Miyamae-kun? Are you alright? You have some kind of rash and your face is red. Do you need to see a doctor?" he questioned the young woman.

The raven haired woman ceased her proceedings to ineffectively become one with the door. Her eyes looked at herself in a mirror that hung behind the priest, parallel to the door on the opposite wall in the hallway. She let out a yelp and began to straighten out her wrinkled blouse—buttoning up the two top buttons of her shirt as she did so. Sure enough, she had a trail of hives from her right cheek and ear lobe down her neck ending just about where the two buttons were unbuttoned previously. To make matters worse, her cheeks were painted a lobster red.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Kanako told him; on the other hand, she was glaring at the door behind her like it was the cause of her physical state. "Ahem, you never answered my question sensei—what are you doing here?"

Kanako's inquiry made Father Kanae remember his original mission and his cheeks reddened. The fact that he was so close to seeing his beloved angel again—who would now be much easier to find since her old roommate was here—made him happy and excited.

"I-I am here to see Shidou-kun!" he replied embarrassed. This made Kanako's expression become confused.

"Mariya? I thought she ordered no visitors today. Or at least that's what she told Matusrika-san." the raven haired woman informed her former teacher. She may not be shooing him away like she would have two years ago; nevertheless, she kept her distance being sure he didn't come near her.

"I see…" _She must've told Shinouji-kun that not to have visitors because she was working, but in reality she must've been catching up with a former roommate. Miyamae-kun and Shidou-kun were roommates for two years so Shidou-kun probably wanted some alone time with her former upperclassmen. _Father Kanae concluded. His face began to turn red as he thought about a moe-ified image of Mariya being lonely without her former roommate. After Kanako left, the priest recalled that Mariya had moved out of the dorms and lived in the Shidou estate again since she was so close to campus. It saddened him that she was being so distant…

And maybe also because he didn't have any more opportunities to see her in her nightgowns…

"Uh, Father Kanae?" Kanako asked unsure, bringing the man out of his thoughts. "I don't think Mariya's feeling well enough for a visit with her former sensei, but I'll be sure to give her the message you stopped by." the young woman explained nervously, bringing up her left hand to her head to push some raven strands behind her ear. It was by doing this action that Father Kanae caught sight of something very significant that was not there before when she was a student.

"Miyamae-kun!" he exclaimed so suddenly making the poor young woman jump in fright. He sprang out a hand and snatched her left hand for closer inspection—ignoring her yelp of protest. "Miyamae-kun, this ring! This is a wedding ring! Does this mean you're married?" the male questioned her while she was still protesting in vain. Sure enough, hives began to erupt on her hand where he touched.

"Gah! Stop! Stop! Stop!" she cried out frantically.

_Miyamae-kun is very distressed. I must be bringing sad memories about her brother into her mind. I must calm her down! It is the duty of a teacher and pseudo-brother to do so when the real brother and husband are not here!_

"Miyamae-kun! It's alright. Your brother—" _Gasp! What if directly approaching the issue sends her into a state of shock? Does her husband know about her brother? Has he talked about it with her? Miyamae-kun! Why must you let yourself suffer?_

Meanwhile Kanako did not cease her panicking. She tried to yank her hand back since her former teacher was lost in his thoughts. Alas, even in a thought, Father Kanae had a strong grip.

_Miyamae-kun, why can't you let yourself depend on us?_ Father Kanae thought in despair.

Whatever Father Kanae was going to say to Kanako to comfort her in her suffering, he didn't get that chance because in the next second or so, another hand came and grasped his hand that was holding Kanako's. With unnatural speed, the unknown hand removed the Father Kanae's hand from the raven haired woman swiftly.

"Oh? Father Kanae, is that you?" a feminine voice spoke out with curiosity. Father Kanae's heart skipped a beat as he knew whose voice it was. Dramatically slowly turning his head, he saw the object of his search standing beside Kanako through the now open door.

She hadn't changed much in the last three months since the previous school function she made an appearance at. Her blonde hair was still the same length, now in a bun instead of the two side pigtails she donned in school, and she wore a grey business jacket and skirt ending an inch above her knees with a stylish black blouse underneath, black stockings, and black heels.

_Mama in Heaven, I have finally found my goddess_!

"M-Mariya!" Kanako stammered out. Her eyes took in Mariya up and down before a dazed look came upon her and some blood leaked out from her nose. "Ehehe."

"Now, now Kanako-san. Don't get blood on the carpet." Mariya said in a sweet voice. The blonde then turned to Father Kanae, "I'm sorry, but I wasn't really expecting visitors today."

"A-ah! I'm sorry Shidou-kun! It was not my place to do this." Father Kanae looked chided, despite the sweet goddess not doing so. "I just… I was very concerned about you. Ever since you became chairman, you are always working. I was very worried about my former student…" Father Kanae explained, averting his eyes.

Mariya gave him a smile, causing his heart to flutter.

"You were worried about me?" she questioned, and Father Kanae looked upon her in awe as if she was glowing in an ethereal light. "I'm so happy to be able to have such a great teacher, even after I graduated. Though Father, is it alright if you come back another time? You see, I have missed Kanako-san so much, and I never get to spend time with her now that we've gone our separate ways." Mariya confessed bashfully, her eyes averting away from him, becoming misty. Then locking her gaze with his own, she clasped her hands at her chest and pleaded to him, "It would mean so much to me if you do this, Father! Please don't allow me and Kanako-san to be separated!" she ended with watery eyes. The male's face erupted into a giant blush and he felt a nosebleed coming on.

"Yes, of course Shidou-kun! I completely understand!" the redhead exclaimed. He raced towards the open window he entered through. "I shall allow you to go back to what you were doing right away." So distracted by Mariya, he forgot to grab the vine which had him tumbling out the window with a yelp. A thud resounded outside the estate and the priest twitched in agony from the fall, his limp body twitching in an odd angle. Nonetheless, a blissful smile was on his face as well as some blood leaking from his nose. He may be in intense pain…

_Mama in Heaven, I am so happy!_

But it was worth to it see Shidou Mariya.

* * *

><p>"Shouldn't we go check on him?" Kanako asked still in her daze while she entered the room again. It appeared to be an office—very spacious with a giant window parallel to the door, a desk in front of the window with a chair and computer, and a large bookshelf against the left wall. The carpet was a dark red color.<p>

"Tch. He'll get over it. It's just the second story window." the feminine voice of Mariya Shidou was now gone and the low baritone of a male took its place—his real voice. "Serves him right. That perverted idiot wasn't fooling anyone! Come to check on me indeed! I should punish Matsurika too for allowing him to come in when I said absolutely _no_ visitors."

"If I may play to my defense, Mariya-sama, I sent him away earlier but he climbed through one of the second story windows by using the vines." Matsurika said appearing out of nowhere.

"Jeez, make sure those things get cut then, will you?" Mariya ordered, then added annoyed "I'll have to make sure I press charges for trespassing before we go back home". Matsurika nodded and then switched her attention to the raven haired woman who was still in a daze.

"It seems someone is very happy. Is it because of what you were doing earlier with her?" this seemed to have snapped Kanako out of her stupor because she turned red and sported an angry expression.

"Of course not! I wasn't happy about that at all!" her blue eyes then took in Mariya's girl appearance again and her nose was starting to bleed. "It's just been so long since I've seen a really good bishoujo besides Matsurika-san!" she exclaimed happily. "You really need to have more good-looking maids back home! All we have are men and old ladies!" she directed at Mariya.

"You realize that I'm still a guy under all this so that doesn't count, right? And this is exactly the reason why we hardly have any maids around our house." Mariya reminded her annoyed, releasing the long blond tresses from the bun on his head. Then a smug smirk came upon his features, "And I beg to differ about your earlier statement. I seem to recall a moan leaking out of that noisy hole of yours before that idiot priest opened the door." Kanako's expression became mortified.

"Well, it—I mean—"Damn; he was right about that. It wasn't like she meant to give out a moan—it was an accident! A slip of the tongue!

"I see you are having some progress in your therapy." Matsurika noted. "Although the fact that she hasn't been able to actually go anywhere due to you practically chaining her since we got here makes me question your methods of rehabilitation."

"Hmph." Mariya flipped some blonde hair over his shoulder. "She'll get over it. Once she's cured of her perverted yuri obsession, I'll deem her safe to go out onto the campus—then maybe the world."

"Stop talking as if I'm not here!" Kanako yelled at them outraged. Jeez! She did an excellent job without him for a year—you'd think she'd get some credit that she kept her yuri perverseness on a low level. She gained _some_ maturity after graduating high school.

"Ah, Kanako-san, it's not polite to yell—even though you looked cute doing it." Mariya scolded in his girl persona that he used in high school to fool everyone. This, sadly, got a reaction out of Kanako whose nose bled soon after seeing his cute expression.

"Is it cheating if she's ogling you as a woman?" Matsurika asked Mariya. "Kanako-sama, you're married to Mariya-sama now—you shouldn't be ogling others."

"Kanako-san, why do you have to be so sinful?" Mariya asked still doing his act. This reprimand from both of them made the woman snap out of it and growl at them.

"I didn't marry you by choice! You forced me into it!"

"Forced you?" Mariya raised an eyebrow; he was done with his feminine act. "I seem to recall you signed the marriage papers willingly—and quite enthusiastically too."

"That's because you told me it was a contract for an internship being a teacher at Ame no Kisaki! You used my love for beautiful girls against me!"

"Well, it's your fault for not reading the document before signing it, Kanako-sama." Matsurika chimed in. "You should've known at that point that Mariya-sama would never allow a pervert like you into a school with high school girls everywhere."

"Well what was I supposed to expect with him turning up out of the blue after not talking to either of you for a year? I thought once I graduated and went to college I'd be rid of you forever!" Kanako cried with a comical teary expression. "How was I supposed to know he came to marry me? And how in the world did you even get my father's permission?!"

"Stupid girl. I didn't need it once you turned eighteen." Mariya reminded her.

"Gah!" Kanako screamed and ran her hands through her hair frustrated. "Why the hell would you even _want_ to marry me? When I was around you, all you seemed to do was insult my intelligence and scold me for being a pervert! I was annoying and loud!"

"You still are." Mariya commented.

"See? Even now you think that so I don't understand why I'm in this position in the first place!" Kanako pulled at her hair.

"Even annoying perverts can be missed, Kanako-sama." Matsurika said bluntly. "And as hard as it is to believe—actually considered impossible—Mariya-sama really miss—"

"Argh! Shut up and get back to work Matsurika!" Mariya cut the maid off and pointed to the door. If you looked closely, you could see his cheeks carrying a pink tint to them, but perhaps it was a trick of the lighting.

"Yes Mariya-sama. I'll leave you to get back to your 'work'." Matsurika replied and went towards the door. Seeing this, Kanako panicked.

"W-wait Matsurika-san! Don't leave me here with him!" Kanako begged.

"Have fun, Kanako-sama." with that, the traitorous maid shut the door leaving Kanako to fend for herself.

"No!" Kanako cried as her face morphed into an expression of horror. Tears rose to her eyes when she heard the door make a resonating click, her heartbeat accelerating even more to the point of her having a stroke. Mariya turned back to her once he was finished locking the door.

"Hmph, that should keep any idiot from coming in and interrupting." Mariya muttered. Gazing at his spouse, his smirk faded and an expression of aggravation came upon his face, "You look as if I'm going to murder you in cold blood—stop overacting already."

"How is it overacting when I know you want some 'quality time'?" Kanako yelled at him. "Every time this happens I always get hives! Remember the last time you wanted some extreme 'quality time'? The staff had to order me a whole truck full of anti-itch cream because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself!" she flailed.

"That's what married couples do, Kanako." Mariya stated bluntly, irked that his wife was missing quite a bit of brain cells in her logic. He went over to the bare wall and pressed a remote button, revealing a secret room full of clothes, fake boobs, corsets, and hair extensions. Mariya walked into the room, gathering his clothes, and then traveled to the bathroom to change. "Besides, it's not as bad as it used to be. I don't get how you're complaining when our 'quality time' is making your body more tolerable to men."

"Like I'd want to be touched by a man." Kanako huffed, crossing her arms childishly while her husband changed in the bathroom. "It's bad enough I have to see tons of men because you refuse to allow our staff to be graced by tons of pretty women—and how would you know it's not just for you and not all men? You're the only one that's been touching me all the time." Kanako told him, causing Mariya, dressed in a regular black suit with a grey undershirt, black tie, and black shoes, to give a blank face at her statement when he opened the door.

"Just as long as you don't scream when my business associates try to shake your hand at the next evening party we go to, it doesn't matter." _like last time _was the unspoken sentence, but both of them knew it was there. Kanako winced when she thought about it. It wasn't her fault all of her husband's associates just grab her hand to shake it without warning her.

"Bleh! Not looking forward to it!" Kanako stuck out her tongue in disgust at the thought of having random men touch her again. "Though if Shizu-san never comes back, then I won't really have to worry about that I guess."

"Tch. She better come back! I'm not filling in for her forever!" Mariya said in irritation. "That perverted priest and the constant laying low thing is getting on my nerves!"

"It would be nice to go out again…" Kanako agreed. They have been in the Shidou estate for a month in a half now, ever since Shizu had told them abruptly that she would be taking a vacation to get away from the stress. However, since the board did not approve of Shizu's vacation, she had Mariya and Kanako come in secret; therefore, they weren't really allowed to make much appearance around the grounds in case a board member spotted them and put two and two together.

"_Don't worry about it! With all the work they have me do, you two won't really be able to leave the estate that much anyway!" _

Mariya's eye twitched as he threw the fake boobs, corset, hair extensions, clothes, and other things in the hidden room. Turning to Kanako, he noticed his wife unconsciously rubbing her left hand, lost in thought. Remembering what had occurred earlier made the blonde man frown and he took out of a disinfectant wipe from the desk.

"Here. Wipe the ring off with this for the time being until we can send it in to a polisher. I don't need hands dirtying something expensive that I bought." he said dismissively and threw the wipe at her head. Kanako made an "oomph" sound and glared at him while she removed the wipe and began wiping her ring and hand with it, hoping the remnants of hives remaining would retreat. Although she hated to admit it, compared to her high school days, her hives were not as reactive—though she refused to think it had anything to do with Mariya's 'therapy methods'.

"Of course you only care about the ring…" she mutters, not noticing her husband gazing at her. His intense ruby eyes observed her silently, not allowing the world to know what he was thinking, before sighing and walking over to the tall woman.

Kanako jumped when she felt Mariya's hand wrap gently around her clothed wrist and pull it towards him, taking the wipe out of her other hand while doing so. He then proceeded to wipe her ring and hand with the wipe gently. Her eyes were wide, staring at her spouse in disbelief and confusion. As if reading her mind, Mariya spoke.

"Your hands are going to end up being permanently damaged one day if you react like this every time a man makes skin to skin contact with you." Mariya told her. "You're a Shidou now, Kanako. While not in blood, you are one in name, and therefore you need to present yourself with pride and strength. Breaking out into hives and showing you are afraid can cause others to try to take advantage of you, thinking you're weak." he added seriously, staring up at her.

'_Is he… is Mariya worried about me?' _Kanako thought wide-eyed, her heart beating fast for reasons unknown to her. A blush ran through her cheeks without her realizing it and her hand unconsciously clenched in front of her heart. _'Eh? What's with my heart going doki doki? It only does that when there is a beautiful woman around! What's going on here?'_

Looking at the blonde man before her, Kanako felt her blush increase tenfold.

'_Mother in Heaven, could it be that I…?'_

"Also it would reflect badly on me if I had an ugly wife who did not take care of her skin problem." Mariya's voice interrupted her thoughts abruptly. Kanako's thought bubble popped and her mouth was agape at his audacity.

"Who are you calling—"

She never got to finish her tirade because next thing she knew, she was lying atop of the desk with Mariya above her, pinning her to the smooth surface.

"It seems we need to double your rehabilitation. Possibly triple if double isn't doing its job." Mariya stated, staring down at her. "If you're still breaking out into hives despite all of our sessions then you may need a stronger dosage." he elaborated.

"W-what? M-more? B-b-but I don't want to be rehabilitated!" Kanako screamed out in despair.

"Oh? Are you rejecting my good Samaritan deed to the world?" Mariya smirked down at her evilly, reminding her eerily of their high school days where he would smirk like that, spelling her doom right after. "What an ungrateful wife I have."

"B-but what about Shizu-san?! This is her office Mariya! We're not doing this in her office!" Kanako exclaimed, clinging to her only life line left. Mariya glared down at her at the mention of the fact that it was indeed _Shizu's _office they were residing in.

"Why should I care about that? She suddenly left for a vacation so we had to race over here out of the blue. Plus that woman seems to have forgotten that I have my own life too, deciding to stay away long past the date she was supposed to report back here to resume her chairman duties."

"M-maybe she is having such a good time down there that she forgot that she stayed down there too long?" Kanako ventured, hoping the new topic would deter Mariya's want for more 'quality time'. Due to Mariya working so much, they haven't really engaged in those activities as much as they did at their own estate, which was fine by Kanako since she liked not itching everywhere afterwards.

"Tch. As if she forgot! She's probably down in the tropics laughing at the fact that I have to waste my time doing her job." Mariya bit out. Then, he focused on Kanako again and a cunning smirk appeared on his face. Kanako's heart began beating in fear and something else while she looked up at him nervously. That look on Mariya's face did not bode well with her…

She was proven right when Mariya leaned down so his mouth was right next to her ear, his lips skimming over the shell of it, and one of his hands snaked up into her hair while the other one trailed up her thigh. His hot breath against her ear made her shiver while her face glowed bright red.

"Perhaps, if she forgot like you said, we should give her reason to remember, ne _Ka-na-ko_?"

She cursed herself for not asking the staff to pack her tons of anti-itch cream…

* * *

><p>"Ah! I feel so relaxed!" Shizu Shidou explained happily, lounging on a reclining chair in the Bahamas. "It was a great idea to take a vacation to kick back! Running two schools is so stressful." her smile then turned into a vengeful grin. "Hehe, not that Onii-sama will know what that is like since he lost the competition. Oh well! Me leaving him in charge while I enjoy myself is an act of kindness! He'll get a taste of what he missed out on!" Shizu giggled, singing.<p>

"Shizu-sama, weren't you supposed to be back in Japan a week ago?" Rindou asked her.

"Oh hush Rindou! I'll go back next week! Mariya can take care of things while I am gone. No worries." Shizu dismissed him, sipping her drink.

"Ah yes, I suppose Mariya-sama can balance his own career and yours well." Rindou commented. "I will have to see if he is still able to dodge my traps when we get back after the double work load he's been doing."

"Ah! That's right! Poor Kana-chan has to deal with a cranky Onii-sama!" Shizu announced, remembering her sister-in-law. "I hope she is doing well. Onii-sama can get pretty nasty when he is irritated." Shizu frowned. "I'll have to check up on her later."

"If Kanako-sama has survived Mariya-sama for years before they were married, then surely she is strong enough to handle him while we're away." Rindou stated and Shizu nodded, agreeing with his assessment.

"_Sighs _That terrible Onii-sama of mine! He does not deserve Kana-chan!" Shizu glared. She still could not believe her brother was married to Kanako and that Kanako had accepted. He had to have tricked her! She would not put it past her scheming brother to imprison Shizu's good friend. Regardless of his feelings—Shizu did not trust her brother to play fair in getting what he wanted.

"Oh! That reminds me, Shizu-sama." Rindou got a look of enlightenment on his face. "Mariya-sama sent you a text just now." he told her, handing her the cell phone.

"A text?" Shizu blinked. "What could Onii-sama possibly have to say all of a sudden?" looking at her phone, she read the screen:

_I hope you don't mind, but since you have left me and my wife with so much time, we have decided to thank you by conceiving your future niece or nephew on top of your favorite desk._

"Eh?! What does he mean by that?!" Shizu exclaimed. Just then, her phone beeped again, alerting her of another text message. She clicked the 'open' button, opening up a picture file. Staring down at it, Shizu was spluttering, her mouth agape, and her face rapidly exploded into the color of a tomato.

"My, it seems Mariya-sama is not angry with you staying away longer after all." Rindou spoke out, looking over Shizu's shoulder at the picture. She continued to stare down at it, her shoulders shaking in rage.

"O-O-ONII-SAMAAAAAAAAAAA! I'll get you for this!" Shizu yelled in rage, springing out of her chair. She then rotated her head to her butler so fast that Rindou was shocked she didn't get whiplash.

"Pack my bags Rindou! We're going home right now!" Shizu yelled in outrage and mortification. "That rotten brother of mine! How dare he defile my desk and Kana-chan!"

"Hmmm? So soon? It looks like she's enjoying it though." Rindou said. Shizu glared at him, face glowing red and her eyes wide in indignity.

"RINDOU!"

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><p><strong>Karin: Okay! There you have it! Kanako in denial, Mariya not in denial but won't say it, and Father Kanae never knowing he is ogling a man lol. I have some other files tucked away in my computer for this series, so hopefully the files will not get lost on a flash drive or have to be wiped off of my hard drive like all my other Maria Holic oneshots for this series (I was very very sad when that had happened). <strong>

**Also, I would like to address something that I said in the last chapter about Miki. I think people assumed I did not like her because of the whole Miki/Mariya thing in Alive but actually I did not really care for that. The reason I don't like her is because of her character itself. To me, Miki just comes off as a brat—she acts arrogant like she knows more but in fact she's very naive. Plus she seems like a mary-sue. I mean, yeah, I understand Kanako is a pervert and such, but she does love her sister, and the fact that Miki doesn't really appreciate that love bothers me. I guess it's because I can relate to Kanako in that sense that makes me not like Miki, but it really has nothing to do with how she has a crush on Mariya—that actually makes the development more interesting to be honest. In the manga, I like Miki better because her personality is not like it is in the anime so much. It's just a little peeve of mine. I'm sorry for all those who like Miki—if she shows up in my oneshots, I will still try to be true to her character regardless depending if I decided to do the manga version of her or the anime version. I hope I'm not offending people. **

**See ya Next time!**

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><p><strong>Replies to Reviews from Chapter Three:<strong>

**moodyaura- **thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And actually the manga does go a little bit into her childhood from where I've read. The flashback in the manga actually inspired the beginning of "Gaze". I wish more of Kanako's childhood was expanded. She seemed calmer then she is now and it would've been cool to see how she interacted with her family when she was a child more. Also, I saw you reposted your story for Maria Holic. I'm very excited to see how you play it out since I really like your story.

**satomika- **thank you—I am thinking of making another oneshot in the "Playground" universe but I have to think about it.

**RPPuzzle- **Hey! How have you been? Hmmm what could I say here that we have not discussed already on PM? Your "Field Trip Fantasy" is still one of my favorite MH stories. I know there was no MariKana kiss in this one, but I hope it made you smile all the same.

**TheReviewSeeker- **Actually in the manga there's more depth to Kanako than in the anime. The anime does not explore the more serious elements of Maria Holic, opting for comedy completely instead. It made me sad that I didn't get to see more of the serious elements playing out in the anime, but I hope it will encourage more people to see if we can get the manga back in scanilation since TokyoPop cancelled it when they went out of business. As for the whole Miki/Mariya/Kanako thing, I don't really care. Depends on how they do it with development and such. I just don't like Miki for the reasons above—it has nothing to do with her liking Mariya.

**rose pedal- **Eh? Why did everyone think that I didn't like Miki because she likes Mariya? O.o I actually saw it coming when she first made her appearance. I'm glad you enjoy these oneshots. I hope you continue to enjoy them in the future.

**Shizzzam- **How ironic that I had this old oneshot sitting in my computer while you said that lol. Yes, Shizu is the chairman in this one and Mariya is just filling in for her. Looks like those twins you were talking about will be making an appearance much to Shizu's mortification XD It actually makes me sad that they enhanced Kanako's pervertedness in the anime. I understand it's for the comedy, but every time I hear people talk about Maria Holic, they judge Kanako based on her anime appearance and not how she appears in the manga. Yes, she is perverted, but she's not as bad as she is in the anime where she's dying of blood loss every two seconds.

**alixia- **Thank you. I'm happy it made you laugh. As for the matter of Timeless… I don't think it's going to be continued. It's been a long time and right now I really don't have the heart to continue it with so much that's going on. I'm really sorry. It's just that lots of times I really don't feel like writing for certain stories because I'm always doing something and I'm tired. Again, I'm really sorry since you like that story and I'm saying I probably won't continue it, but I want to be honest with you instead of lying and saying I'm going to update it when I know I am not, and you being even more disappointed in the end if I had lied.

**Arausi- **Weee! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment as well!

**razzlice- **Thank you very much Were you referring to a sequel to the oneshot "Sickness" or just the Tales series in general? I'm glad you liked it very much though.

**randombystander- **I am glad you want to see more. I will try to come out with more oneshots sooner than a year… hopefully…

**Universal Sweetheart- **I'm happy you liked it. I hope you will continue to enjoy the oneshots published in the Tales series.

**Polishag- **Thank you very much. I hope this new one didn't kill any expectation of me since I feel like I did a terrible job with characterization this time (=_=). I'm honored you think this one is the best out of all the Maria Holic fics, though there aren't a lot. I do plan to continue it—it's just that there was a lot of stuff happening so I haven't really been in the spirit to write fanfiction. I'm sorry it took so long.

**Rie Hollier- **Yes, there will be more chapters. I am honored you really like my Maria Holic stuff. I hope that this new oneshot did not destroy the notion that I was doing well with the characters.

**LunaEchoWillow- **I'm sorry that I took so long updating. I hope you enjoyed the update.


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